Timeless
by SilverKitsune2017
Summary: After the War, Sasuke felt aimless, until a "magic mirror" intervened. While he was getting treated by Hinata at the hospital, balls of chakra were ejected from it. When the smoke cleared, they realized that their past and future selves had shown up in the present day. Things only got more bizarre from there, especially after they found out that their older selves were married!
1. Chapter 1

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** In this time travel story, there will be a past, present, and future Sasuke and Hinata. If any of that bothers you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, I hope you enjoy the story and reviews are always appreciated.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Age 7. Their words are in italics.

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Age 17. Their words are in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Age 27. Their words are in bold.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my stories.

Chapter 1

The war was over. He knew that he should feel happy. They were victorious and he had gotten his revenge. Sasuke didn't though. He just felt numb.

His revenge had been a hallow victory. One that left a bitter taste in his mouth. Itachi hadn't been the villain. He had been the martyr.

"Sasuke, when are you going to accept the arm transplant? There's no point in going without a limb for no reason. Yeah, you did a lot of bad stuff. But you aren't the same person anymore. You don't need to punish yourself." Naruto says.

Now that Itachi was dead, Sasuke felt aimless. He had so much to make up for. He didn't even know where to begin. The last Uchiha was so lost in his own thoughts that he almost didn't hear what his friend was saying.

When he does, he couldn't help but smile. It wasn't anything that the blonde hadn't said a thousand times. Sasuke would never understand how he did it. Naruto seemed to possess an endless capacity for forgiveness. Sometimes he envied the other ninja for that.

"Naruto, I don't deserve another arm. I'd rather go without it. It's a small step towards paying for my sins." He mutters.

"You're being so stubborn! Hinata, will you tell him that he's being stupid?" Naruto exclaims as the new medic walks by them in the hall.

Hinata shakes her head and tries to stifle a giggle. It was bizarre. She was watching arguably the two most powerful ninjas in the world, bickering like Genin.

"Naruto, I don't think telling him that he's stupid is going to make him change his mind. I do need to change his bandages though." Hinata says.

"Alright. Make sure to give him more pain meds. He's way too stubborn to ask for them himself." The blonde says cheerfully as he heads off.

Hinata watches as Sasuke glares daggers in his back. It was obvious that Naruto was right. The last Uchiha was far too proud to ask for the pain medication that he desperately needed.

"He means well and he's right. You want to protect the Leaf now, don't you?" She asks softly as she undoes his bandages.

"Yes." Sasuke answers as he watches the Hyuga woman slowly unwrap his bandages with the greatest care.

"Don't you think that you can do that better with two arms instead of one?" The lavender eyed ninja inquires tactfully.

Sasuke smirks. Hinata was smart. He might not know her that well, but that much was obvious. She certainly believed in a honey approach. Naruto was all vinegar.

"That's a good point. Though I think that I can handle any threat with only one arm and I do deserve to pay some sort of price. I put a lot of people's lives at risk needlessly and did a lot of horrible things, Hinata." He says.

The raven haired man couldn't for the life of him articulate exactly WHY, he was explaining himself to the quiet medic. He supposed that she just had a friendly face.

That and she was the closest thing to a neutral party he could get in this village. She was the only one who didn't look at him with awe, fear, hatred, or lust. (Sometimes people looked at him with all four emotions at once, actually.)

"Sasuke, we all make mistakes. You made a lot of them, but you did so because you thought it was the right thing to do. You have a lot of people who care about you here. You can make up for what you did, but first you have to try to forgive yourself." She says as she cleans the injury.

"You know, I think this is the longest we've ever talked and I just noticed something. You aren't stuttering." Sasuke notes in amusement.

He wasn't sure why, but he delighted in the fact that she was suddenly blushing. It was cute.

Sasuke mentally scoffs at himself for using that word. Peopled like him didn't use the word cute. They shouldn't even think it. It was far too _innocent_ of a term for someone like him to use.

"I only stutter when I'm nervous and I've mostly outgrown it, but I think you're right. This is the longest that we've talked." She mumbles.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Hinata wasn't nervous around him then. He didn't know how to take that. On some level though, he felt relieved. There was at least one person in this village besides Naruto, who wasn't terrified of him.

"Why aren't you nervous though? I hope you aren't foolish enough to think that the fact I have one arm, means that I couldn't kill you with ease." Sasuke says.

"You won't kill me. You've rarely killed for no reason. You have very little to benefit from by killing me and everything to lose. Besides, you came to this hospital willingly. It wouldn't make much sense to kill someone for giving you the care that you wanted in the first place." She says with a small smile.

The raven haired ninja blinks. Well that was true. He didn't expect her to realize that though.

"You're perceptive." Sasuke was forced to admit.

That's when Sasuke's eyes narrow. He had seen a flash in the mirror of the room. The man felt a strange chakra signature.

"Hinata, did you see that?" Sasuke asks.

"I did." The bluenette says as she gets into a fighting stance.

That's when the mirror suddenly ejected four lights. Two of them were dark purple, one was blue, and the other was violet. They got hurled straight out of the mirror and towards the Hyuga District.

"What was that?!" They both ask.

"Sasuke, are you well enough to track whatever that was? I have to inform Tsunade, Kakashi, and Naruto." Hinata says.

Sasuke nods. He quickly gets out of bed and sprints off. Despite the dangerous situation, she still had to admire his speed. Though she soon raced towards where she knew Tsunade would be.

"Lady Tsunade! Come quick. Something strange just happened. Four chakra signatures just were thrown out of a mirror. I sent Sasuke to follow them. They were ejected towards my family's estate!" Hinata says desperately.

Tsunade frowns. She had felt something odd a few seconds ago. Strange chakra. All of it was familiar somehow and yet not.

"We have to let the rest of the village know now. I don't know what's going on and until we know, there is no way of knowing what the best way to proceed is. At least the Uchiha will be cautious in his approach. He can give us a detailed report." She says as she heads out of the hospital and summons one of her giant slugs.

Hinata follows Tsunade. She couldn't help but stare in awe at the other woman's summon. It was so large and well it wasn't everyday you saw a slug the size of a two-story building.

"I need you to go to the village square and tell everyone that four strange chakra signatures have been ejected from a mirror. DO NOT ENGAGED until we have more information. That is the order." The busty blonde instructs the slug and it heads of surprisingly swiftly.

"I didn't know that slugs could move so fast." Hinata murmurs.

"Oh well regular slugs can not. Summon Slugs are another matter." Tsunade assures her.

Meanwhile Sasuke arrives at the Hyuga Estate. His eyes widen at what he finds. The Hyugas were all utterly baffled at the arrival of the newcomers. So was Sasuke for that matter. He knew that he was likely staring just as much as the Hyugas, but he couldn't help it.

He recognized a younger version of himself and a younger Hinata. There were two other people. One looked a great deal like him, but the other looked like an older Hinata.

"Sasuke Uchiha what is the meaning of this?!" Hiashi Hyuga thunders.

 _"I don't kn-ow. Where am I?"_ The younger version of himself says.

Sasuke watches anxiously. While the child was extremely confused and perhaps a little fearful, his older self looked completely confident. It was as if he expected this to happen.

 **"It's a long story. I speak for only myself, but I wouldn't mind having my mind probed by Ibiki. That is, if it will put all your minds at ease."** He states.

He notices that the younger version of Hinata was looking scared and close to tears. Sasuke couldn't help but smile when his younger self whispers something to her. Clearly, it was some attempt to comfort her. It must have worked because she looked a little less panicky after that.

 **"Father, it's alright. It's me. Well me, as I'll be in ten years. I'll also agree to be probed, if you like."** Hinata says.

"Did you know about this?!" Hiashi seethes at Sasuke.

"What? No! Of course not! I'm just as surprised as you." He defends himself.

That's when the slug's instructions bellowed throughout the entire Leaf Village. Sasuke blinks. He had to hand it to Tsunade's Summon. She certainly knew how to get everyone's attention.

It didn't take long for Tsunade, Hinata, and Naruto to arrive. The present day Hinata stares in shock at her other selves and the other Sasuke's. Tsunade and Naruto looked equally stunned.

"Um so what is going on here? Is it just me or are there three Sasuke's and three Hinatas?" Naruto asks in confusion.

"It's not just you. Four balls of chakra came hurling into our gardens and when the smoke cleared, these four were standing here. The oldest counterparts have agreed to have their minds probed." Hiashi explains smoothly.

"Well that's good. Let's get the older Sasuke and Hinata to Ibiki for interrogation. I can't condone interrogating children under the age of ten, if it isn't absolutely necessary. Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Tsunade says.

The mini Sasuke and Hinata seemed to have decided that it was safe. Currently, the youngest Sasuke was showing something to Hinata in his hand. Whatever it is, it apparently was delighting the other child.

"What's that you got there?" Naruto asks as he walks over and kneels down so that he was eyelevel with the younger version of his friend.

 _"Butterfly!"_ Hinata says.

"Awe. That's cute. Look bastard, he found a butterfly for Hinata." Naruto says.

The children's eyes widen to the size of saucers. The blonde looks at them in confusion. What were those looks for?

 _"You said a bad word!"_ They both exclaim and Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yes, watch your mouth around the children. Honestly, you are setting a horrible example for my daughter. Well at least I think she is my daughter." Hiashi says.

The older Sasuke snorts in amusement and Hinata giggles slightly. This earns funny looks from all the Hyugas. They were wondering what she was giggling about. None of them found anything amusing about this strange situation.

"Right. Well Sasuke, Hinata come with me." Tsunade says and immediately three sets of Hinatas and Sasukes begin to follow her.

She sighs. Oh geez. This was going to get confusing. They were really going to have to come up with a way to distinguish between the sets.

"I mean the OLDEST Hinata and Sasuke." The busty woman says with sigh.

The younger versions hang back. The twenty something Hinata and Sasuke quickly follow the Hokage. The Hyugas watch as they leave and all look rather shell-shocked to put it mildly.

"So this is really weird. I wonder why the mirror spat out copies of you guys." Naruto says.

"I don't know. I think it might have been reacting to our chakra though. We were the only ones in the room when the mirror decided to act strangely." Sasuke muses.

Hinata nods. It made as much sense as anything else. She watches her younger self and Sasuke closely. The last thing they needed was for them to run off. Which naturally was exactly what they did.

"Big sister, little sister and mini Sasuke are missing." Hanabi says almost at the same instant Hinata noticed.

Seven year old Sasuke had found the best hiding spot ever. It was in plain sight. He was currently sitting on a tree branch, hidden in the leaves. This place was so big! There were so many places to play Hide and Go Seek!

Hinata was it. The young Sasuke had decided this was all a strange dream. So he might as well have some fun. That's what he told his frightened classmate too! That seemed to calm her down.

 _"Byakugan!"_ Hinata cries out after she counts to 10.

She looks around for Sasuke. Eventually, her eyes come upon the tree and she smiles. She climbs up the tree and tags him.

" _I found you!"_ She says.

 _"That's cheating! You used your Byakugan."_ He grumbles.

 _"It's not cheat-ing. You didn't say that I couldn't use it."_ Hinata counters.

Sasuke sighs. Well that was true. He just figured that it was kinda given. Though it was fun to see all the adults freaking out down below though.

"Byakugan!" The older Hinata says as she looks around frantically and sighs in relief when she saw they were just up a nearby tree.

"Damn. I expected kid Sasuke to be a handful, but Hinata?" Naruto asks.

"Loser, just go get them." Sasuke says and Naruto quickly scales the tree to do exactly that.

It didn't take him long to get down. The blonde had scooped up one child in each arm. The Hyugas all breathe an audible sigh of relief.

Meanwhile Tsunade takes Hinata and Sasuke to see Ibiki. Even the experienced interrogator was more than a little baffled at seeing an older version of the last Uchiha and Hyuga Heiress. The former Hokage sighs and explains quickly.

"That's the strangest thing that I've ever heard, but alright. Let's get to work. Who wants to go first?" Ibiki asks.

 **"I'll go first. I doubt you'll need to peek inside her mind, after you see mine."** He states as he allows himself to strapped up to the machine that would make it easier for the other ninja to probe his mind.

Ibiki finds the entire situation rather bizarre. Still he was a trained professional and conducts the probe. Once he finishes, he gapes at Sasuke and Hinata in utter shock.

"Well, Ibiki? What did you find out?" Tsunade asks.

"They aren't a threat to us. It seems that there is a mirror in the hospital that has a jutsu attached to it. To put it simply, the jutsu is designed to help people with introspection. Your past and future self will materialize and stay until they help you face whatever issue brought them here." He explains.

Tsunade raises an eyebrow. She wasn't entirely certain that she bought that line of reasoning. Why hadn't it worked for anyone before in that case?

"If it is activated by someone needing help to deal with an issue, then anyone that walked by it should have two copies of themselves running around. That's obviously not the case." She states.

"The jutsu in place appears to make the mirror to a certain extent self-aware. It will only activate if someone has a particularly pressing issue. In this case, it looks like Sasuke and Hinata both fit that criteria. I've searched his mind from top to bottom. Neither of them are planning to attack the Leaf and he appears quite confident that they will simply return to their time when the "problem" is solved." The interrogator explains.

Tsuande sighs. Well that wasn't terribly reassuring. Ibiki still hadn't told her what issue the Hyugas and Uchihas hadn't addressed. Still Ibiki was the best in the business. If he didn't sense a hostile intent from Sasuke, there clearly wasn't one. (She found it doubtful that Hinata would be more likely to have a hostile intent than Sasuke and didn't think it was worth a second probe.)

"Very well. Come. We should get you back to the Hyuga Estate until we figure out what to do. Your younger selves are still there." She mutters.

 **"Of course, Lady Tsunade."** They both chorus together as they follow her.

Ibiki could only stare at their retreating forms. It wasn't relevant to the safety of the village, so he hadn't told the Hokage everything he saw. In the future, Sasuke and Hinata were _**married.**_

It didn't take long for the trio to make it back to the Hyugas. Tsunade sighs as she rubs her temples. The busty blonde could already feel a stress headache coming on. How was she supposed to explain all of this?!

"Lady Tsunade, thank goodness you are back." The Hyuga Patriarch says as he strides over to her.

"Well Ibiki has conducted the mind probe. Where are the other Sasukes and Hinatas?" She asks.

"The children are asleep. My daughter is in her room. For the time being, we have given our Sasuke a guestroom, just as we have done for the children." Hiashi explains.

Tsunade nods. Well that made sense. She takes a deep breath and prepares to explain.

"Apparently, there was a jutsu on that mirror. It's designed to summon your past and future self to help you address a problem that you are facing. That is why it only activated for Hinata and Sasuke. They are both facing some problem and need their counterparts to assist them in this matter." She admits.

Hiashi frowns. He wasn't sure what problem Hinata might have that would merit some magical mirror activating and ejecting her past and future self. This was a most disturbing turn of events. Even more concerning was the fact that somehow, Sasuke was involved.

"For now you are both welcome to stay here for the time being. It would probably make your _mission_ easier." Hiashi says.

 **"Thank you, father. That's very kind of you. We'll just find a couple of spare guestrooms."** Hinata assures him.

The Hyuga Patriarch simply nods his head in agreement as the two walk off to do that. It was bizarre. Sasuke didn't walk like someone who was entering the Hyuga Estate for the first time. He seemed perfectly at ease with his surroundings. That was certainly not something you would expect from a ninja in unfamiliar territory.

He was actually walking IN FRONT of Hinata. It was though he already knew his way around. That was impossible though. Sasuke had never been inside the Hyuga Estate before today…or had he?

"I know what you are thinking. He's too familiar with his environment. Whatever happens in the future, clearly involves him getting rather familiar with your family's home." The busty blonde observes.

"Yes, that's what concerns me most at the moment." Hiashi mutters.

Meanwhile the older Sasuke and Hinata find guestrooms that were next to each other. The husband and wife were rather unhappy about this arrangement. Unfortunately, it had to be done. Sharing the same room would raise too many suspicions.

For a moment though, they decided to risk it. Hinata darts into Sasuke's room. They could hardly have this conversation in the hallway.

 **"I wish that we didn't have to stay in separate rooms."** She whispers.

 **"I feel the same way. Hopefully, it doesn't take them as long as it took us to realize why we are here. Don't worry though. I'm only one room away."** Sasuke says as he caresses his wife's cheek and kisses her forehead affectionately.

Hinata smiles. Sasuke could always make her feel secure. The blunette knew that she wasn't going to be able to sleep properly until she was back in his arms. She had grown rather spoiled since their marriage. Theirs was a very warm martial bed.

 **"I know. Our younger selves will be demanding answers soon, particularly you."** She says with an amused smile.

 **"Yes, I realize that. What should we tell them?"** He asks in concern.

 **"The same thing our older counterparts told us, ten years ago. Good night. I'll see you in the morning."** She whispers as she places a gentle kiss to his lips.

Sasuke smiles and returns it. He knew that he should keep it chaste. The eldest Uchiha had a habit of getting carried away when it came to his wife. She'd end up in his bed, if he dared to do anything more with her.

 **"Sometimes, I really wish that your family couldn't see through walls. It would make our stay much more comfortable."** He states with a smirk.

Suddenly, Hinata's eyes widen in horror. Sasuke blinks in confusion. He didn't think he said anything that offensive.

 **"What's wrong? I'm just saying that at a time like this, it's inconvenient. You know that I love your family. I didn't mean anything by it."** Sasuke adds quickly.

 **"No! No! It's not that. It's the Byakugan. My Byakugan can see through walls as well. What if my younger self was spying on us and saw us kiss?"** His wife demands.

Damn it. Good point. Thank goodness that Hinata was the one with the Byakugan and him. He definitely would have been on the look out for their return and seen everything.

 **"They didn't see it. If they did, you would have remembered it and probably would have told me. Remember, this is their present but our past. We have every advantage over them."** Sasuke says as he briefly embraces his wife and Hinata nods in agreement.

 **"You're right. It's just all so surreal. Good night."** She says, just before Hinata slips out of his room and enters her own.

Meanwhile present day Sasuke, sneaks into Hinata's room. Inwardly, the fact he was doing so amused him. He was sneaking into the Hyuga Princess's room. Naruto would laugh his ass off.

Her door was locked. Of course, that was more out of the principle of the thing than anything else. Hinata surely had to know that a locked door wasn't going to keep out any decent ninja. (And it was especially useless in her family, if they really wanted to pry.) Still he supposed that he should at least try to be polite.

"Hinata." He calls out as he knocks on the door.

It didn't take long for her to open the door. In some back corner of his mind, he notes that she was just as surprised by him coming to her room as he was to go there. Good. At least they were on even footing.

"Sasuke?" She asks in confusion.

"Their back. I heard their voices. Their just down the hall. What's your Byakugan's range?" Sasuke inquires.

"A lot further than that." She says with a smile as she gestures for him to join her inside her room.

It was a little awkward to talk to him in the middle of a hallway. That would attract way too much attention. The bluenette was relieved after he was inside her room and she shuts the door behind him.

"Byakugan!" She says as she looks through the walls.

"What are they doing?" The last Uchiha asks.

He frowns as he debates whether that title was accurate. Currently, there were three Uchihas inside the Hyuga Estate. (Yes, he was going to ponder THAT irony later.) Sasuke shakes his head. It was still accurate, they were still him. Just older and younger.

"Oh God! I'm so sorry." Hinata says as she quickly deactivates her Byakugan and blushes scarlet.

"Hinata?" Sasuke asks.

"He's getting ready for b-ed. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to catch you while you were un-dressing." She stammers.

Oh. Sasuke didn't even know how to respond to that. Hinata clearly hadn't been trying to get an eyeful, but she had.

"It's alright. So she's, well you're, not with him?" The raven haired ninja asks.

"No. I'm not with you. So they must be sticking to the separate rooms. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to." She mumbles.

"Hinata, it's fine. You're a medic. You're a professional. I know that you aren't some deviant trying to use your Byakugan for less than… _honorable_ purposes. Besides, how much did you see?" He asks a bit warily.

He had never been shy about his body. Still it was a little embarrassing. Sasuke might have accidentally flashed the shyest woman that he had ever met. He barely knew Hinata, but he knew that she was definitely shy. Frankly, he was grateful that the Hyuga Heiress was that way. It was a relief because he was really tired of women trying to steal his toothbrushes and other crazy things to get his attention. At the very least, he could be confident that Hinata wouldn't do anything like that.

"Well you still had your box-ers on." The bluenette replies.

"That's something at least. Well it doesn't look like our older selves are conspiring with each other. It might just be a coincidence that they came through the mirror together." Sasuke reasons.

Hinata tilts her head to the side. Did Sasuke really believe that? She certainly didn't.

"Do you really think that's the case?" Hinata inquires.

"Not for a minute, but it sounded good. We'll get to the bottom of this. It can't be that hard. They are us. We know how their minds work." Sasuke says.

"Sasuke, their us in about ten years. A lot can happen in a decade. We can't assume anything." The bluenette says.

Sasuke sighs. Hinata had a point there. Still they had Hinata's Byakugan and his stealth skills. They'd figure it out sooner or later.

"We'll figure it out. At least our younger selves seem to be doing okay." He says and Hinata sighs in relief as she agrees.

Elsewhere in the Hyuga Estate, the younger Sasuke and Hinata had found each other. Sasuke didn't want to scare his classmate, but he was starting to get worried. This was a very long dream

 _"Hinata, I don't think we are dreaming anymore."_ He mumbles.

 _"I don't think so either. Everyone looks the same, but older. We look the same, but bigger."_ She observes.

Sasuke nods. That was true. He just knew somehow that those other Uchihas were him. He couldn't explain it. He just knew it.

 _"Can your Byakugan see through walls? Want to play Hide and Go Seek some more?"_ He asks slyly and Hinata nods.

 _"Yes, we ju-st have to figure out which rooms are older selves are s-taying in."_ Hinata says.

Sasuke nods. That was a good point. He gestures for Hinata to follow him. The children proceed to start searching the massive Hyuga Estate.

They were going to get to the bottom of this one way or another. Adults always thought they were so sneaky. Well they'd show them! They were smart too!


	2. Chapter 2

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I was really touched by all the positive responses. It appears that the youngest Sasuke and Hinata are currently the stars of the show. I also put up the codes again for easy reference and to prevent confusion about who is saying what. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in normal font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 2

The next morning, Hiashi decides to take matters into his own hands. He was the head of this clan and suddenly the Hyuga Estate was hosting five unexpected visitors. It was up to him to ensure the safety and well-being of every member of his Clan. (The fact that at least two "members" were from different time periods, wouldn't stop him from performing his sacred duty as the Hyuga Patriarch!)

"Good morning, daughter. Good morning, Sasuke." He greets the children in the Dining Hall.

He knew that it was extremely early for children to be up, but he had found them wandering around the estate in the wee hours of the morning. So Hiashi had determined since they were up, he might as well feed them. He was also going to question them to see what they knew about their unique _situation._

 _"Good morning, father."_ Hinata says with an adorable, sleepy yawn.

 _"Good morning, Lord Hiashi."_ Sasuke replies and Hiashi notes that Sasuke seemed marginally more awake than his new "friend."

It did amuse him to note that at some point in the distant past, Sasuke had been respectful of his elders. The youngest Uchiha was also aware enough of Hyuga Clan Hierarchy to realize that his proper title was Lord. He was also polite enough to address him by it as well. That was interesting and certainly unexpected. He was nothing like the "middle Sasuke."

"I would ask if you slept well, but it seems neither of you got much sleep." He chides them gently.

 _"We were too excited to sleep. I was s-howing Sasuke around our home. It's so big. I didn't want him to get l-ost."_ His daughter informs him.

Hiashi raises an eyebrow at the explanation. Oh it was a perfectly normal response for a seven year old to give. It was more the way she said it, that caught his attention. She had only stuttered twice. For Hinata at that age, he remembered that as being impressive.

"Of course. Well that was very nice of you to show him around. Both of you can help yourself to whatever you like on the table." He tells them and that was all the invitation they needed to start gorging themselves on the feast in front of them.

The Hyuga Patriarch shakes his head in amusement. Hinata was at least minding her table manners. Sasuke was probably trying to do so, but it was clear that his hunger was getting the better of him.

Quite honestly, it was hard to reconcile the Sasuke he knew as being the same person as this child sitting next to him. At one point, the last Uchiha had been an innocent child. Now he was a man who could probably level an entire village on his own. A man whose hands were soaked in blood. (Well at least the one that he still had anyway.)

 _"This is really good! Thank you!"_ Sasuke says as he shovels a pancake into his mouth.

 _"Father, are you mad at us?"_ Hinata asks nervously.

"No, I am not angry with the two of you. Why would you think that?" Hiashi inquires.

Hinata bites her lower lip. Sasuke glances at her in a reassuring fashion. It was obvious that his daughter was rather nervous about her answer. Even another child, could see it.

 _"Well u-sually when you want to talk to me alone, it means I did something w-rong."_ She stammers.

"In this case, you did nothing wrong. Neither did Sasuke. I just wanted to make sure that you were both alright. You aren't afraid, are you?" Hiashi asks.

There was something he never thought he'd say. Sasuke didn't do anything wrong. Ha. The world must have turned on its axis, he privately muses to himself.

 _"We aren't afraid. This is just a really strange dream."_ Sasuke says as he nibbles on some bacon.

Hinata blinks. Sasuke was a really good liar. Then again, ninjas were supposed to be good at lying. That and that Iruka Sensei always said that a ninja must see through deception. Maybe Sasuke was testing her father in a way.

"Ah of course. Well I'm glad that you aren't scared." Hiashi says with a smile.

It never occurred to him that the innocent looking seven year old, would be able to lie to him with a straight face. Why should it? He was just a child.

"Good morning, father." The present day Hinata says as she comes walking into the Dinning Hall.

"Daughter, it's good to see you… _ **again.**_ " Hiashi chuckles at his own joke.

"You as well. Sasuke and I are going to try to talk to our older selves. We were wondering, if you wouldn't mind watching them. That or we could ask some of our other family members. I think Naruto would volunteer, but Sasuke seems dead set against that idea." Hinata informs him.

Hiashi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Good Heavens. He was actually agreeing with the Uchiha on something!

The father of two certainly did not want to leave Naruto Uzumaki alone with two seven year olds. He'd probably encourage them to paint the faces of the Hokages on the Hokage Mountain to look like clowns again. (Yes, the blonde had actually done that in his youth.)

"I don't mind watching them. Were is _**our**_ Sasuke, anyway?" He asks.

"I think he might still be asleep." Hinata answers him.

"Hmm. He's a night owl then. I wouldn't have expected that. He always struck me as the sort who would wake up early to train, rather than training into the night. Very well. I wish you luck on getting some more detailed answers out of your counterpart." Hiashi says and Hinata nods, before heading off to do exactly that.

"Hinata, how do you want to do this?" Sasuke asks her when he sees the bluenette coming down the hallway.

The Hyuga woman pauses as she considers that question. What would be the best way to go about this? On one hand, who knew them better than themselves? On the other, that was the obvious move. Their future selves would be expecting that.

"I think I should try to speak to him and you should try to speak to her." She says after awhile.

"Alright. Good luck." Sasuke says as he walks to the elder Hinata's room and knocks on the door.

"Thanks. You too!" The present day Hinata says, before darting off towards the elder Sasuke's guestroom.

Sasuke knocks on her door. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the older Hinata to open it. She smiles at him and gestures for him to come inside.

 **"Good morning, Sasuke. Did you sleep well?"** She asks innocently as she runs a brush through her long blue tresses.

"I could have slept better. You know the reason why. Are you going to make this easy on both of us and tell me what I want to know?" He asks.

Hinata actually laughs at him. It was a quiet laugh. Sasuke didn't detect any hint of mockery towards him, but it unnerved him just the same.

This Hinata wasn't intimidated by him in the slightest. If he had thought that his Hinata was neutral, this one was completely comfortable around him. Almost suspiciously so.

 **"I'm sorry. I can't tell you that, at least not yet. It might upset the timeline."** She replies apologetically.

Sasuke frowns. She sounded so sincere in her apology. Then again, he had never known Hinata to lie. (It didn't matter that he hadn't spoken to her much until very recently, she was definitely an honest person.) So it was likely that she was telling him the truth.

"You've been here before. This isn't the first time you've dealt with two versions of yourself." He whispers.

Hinata smiles. Her husband was called a genius for a good reason. The simple word yet, had probably triggered that conclusion. She had expected it though. Sasuke had told her once about his encounter with the _Other Her._

 **"That's right. Think really hard, Sasuke. Do you think this is your first time or your second time dealing with this situation?"** She asks him gently.

Sasuke blinks. In the back of his mind, a memory trickled in. After the Massacre, he had gone into a state of shock.

The next day, he remembered having a strange dream. But he had quickly forgotten about it, when he overheard the nurses discussing the fact that his entire Clan was gone. In that dream, there had been three versions of a girl that he vaguely knew from the Academy and himself.

"It wasn't just a dream." He murmurs and Hinata nods in confirmation.

At that same time, Hinata was plucking up all her courage to deal with the older version of Sasuke. Her Sasuke was fearsome enough in his own right. She didn't even want to think about how powerful he became in the next ten years. Despite that, Sasuke wasn't a bad person. He was really the product of his environment more than anything else. With that in mind, she dares herself to knock on his door.

 **"Morning, Hinata. You can come in. I expected that you and my past self would have questions."** Sasuke says smoothly as he opens the door and allows her inside.

The first thing she noticed was that somehow Sasuke got even bigger. That was impressive, because at 17, he already had a good six inches on her and she was by no means short. His shoulders were also broader, which was surprising because they were already broad now. The most important difference though was that this Sasuke had two arms.

"Yes, we h-ave a lot of questions." She mumbles and Sasuke lifts her head up by her chin, so that she was staring directly into his obsidian black eyes.

 **"You once told me that you only stutter when you are nervous. You don't have to be nervous around me. Not now. Not ever."** He tells her.

Hinata blinks. He said that with such conviction that she couldn't help but wonder how well did she know him in the future? That wasn't the type of declaration that you made to someone you barely knew. (She was honest enough to acknowledge that she was little more than a stranger to her version of Sasuke.)

"That's good to know." She whispers.

Sasuke notes that she was staring at his arm. That only made sense. In her era, he hadn't had the transplant yet. She'd talk him into it soon enough though. Hinata could be quite persuasive when she wanted to be.

 **"Go ahead and ask your questions. I won't bite you, today."** He informs her.

Hinata blinks at the use of the word **today.** That was very specific. Sasuke was going to bite her at some point in the future?! But he had just gotten done telling her that he wouldn't hurt her. That didn't make any sense!

 **"I think it's better for both of our sakes, if you don't overanalyze everything that I tell you, right now. Allow yourself some time to process it."** He suggests and Hinata nods dumbly.

"Alright. You speak to me like we are friends in the future?" She asks.

Sasuke smirks. He supposed that was one way to put it. For now, he decides just to go with it. If he told her the truth, she'd likely faint.

 **"Yes, you could say that. We are friends. Very good friends. Actually, these days I'm closer to you than I am to Naruto."** He answers truthfully.

Naruto was his best friend, but Sasuke sure as Hell wasn't about to sleep with him. He wasn't the mother of his children. So yes, he could say with complete accuracy that he was now closer to Hinata than he was to Naruto.

The Hyuga woman stares at him with wide eyes. Sasuke was trying his hardest not to laugh. Of course that would sound utterly alien to her. Even in this era, Naruto was his best friend.

"Did you and Naruto have a fight or something?" She dares herself to ask.

 **"No. We're still good friends. It's just that we are adults now. We each have our own lives to lead and families to take care of."** He replies.

They each had their own lives to lead and families to take care of? That meant that Sasuke had at least one child in the future and most likely a wife. He had always talked about restoring her Clan, but it had been an abstract goal. As far as she could tell, he had never even given a woman a second glance. The idea of him proposing to anyone was almost unimaginable.

"Do you have a large family?" She asks.

 **"Hinata, I know you are smart enough to realize that I can't tell you that. I don't want to risk damaging the timeline."** Sasuke says.

"Oh right. Of course. Can you at least tell me if you are happy in the future? Am I?" Hinata inquires.

 **"Trust me, we are both VERY happy."** Sasuke answers her.

We. There was something about the way he said we. Well then again, he had said not to overanalyze everything that he said. Maybe he had a point there. This was going to drive her crazy.

It almost felt like he was trying to give her clues about something. That or he knew some inside joke that she didn't. Hinata had never been more frustrated in her life.

"Well that's good. Can you tell me why all of you came here?" Hinata says as she decides the direct approach might be the best one to dealing with the future Sasuke.

 **"As Ibiki explained to Tsunade, that mirror has a jutsu on it. It will summon up the past and future versions of a person to help them resolve an issue they are facing. Most of the time that issue is subconscious. So it wouldn't be surprising, if you didn't know why you are here."** Sasuke tells her.

A subconscious issue? Hinata frowns. She had no idea what issue she might have buried in her mind that would be worthy of summoning up two other versions of herself.

Sasuke was a completely different case though. For him it wasn't a matter of discovering what his issue was, but which ONE had summoned the other Sasukes. She didn't even know where to begin when it came to guessing which one of his problems needed to be resolved the most.

"And you can't tell me, what our issues are?" She says.

 **"I wish that I could, but it would definitely disrupt the timeline. You can't find out yet. You will though. Come on. If I remember correctly, my younger self is feeling a little unsettled at the moment. That and we really should find the Minis."** Sasuke muses.

"The Minis?" Hinata asks in confusion.

Sasuke chuckles. Right. He should probably explain that nickname. Of course, Hinata didn't know who he was referring to.

 **"Our youngest versions. We call them Mini Hinata and Mini Sasuke. Collectively, they are known as the Minis."** He explains.

Hinata blinks. Oh. Well that made sense. That was one easy way to distinguish between the sets. Now, they would just have to do the same for themselves and their future selves.

"Yes, we should definitely check on the Minis." She agrees and heads off with the older Sasuke.

They enter her older self's room. When they entered, Hinata was stunned at what she saw. Clearly, her Sasuke was in shock. Maybe he had discovered something important?

"Sasuke, I don't know if she told you anything, but I didn't get much out of him. We should check on our younger selves though. They are eating breakfast with my father." Hinata suggests.

"Eating breakfast with Hiashi? We should go rescue them. I imagine that they have gotten frostbite from being around him by now." He replies.

The elder Sasuke chuckles at that. This earns him a dirty look from the future Hinata. Once he noticed that he had drawn her ire, he quickly puts up his hands in an _**I Surrender Gesture.**_ Thankfully, this seems to pacify her.

"Are you trying to say that my father is a cold person?" Hinata asks.

"Well yeah. He's glacial Hinata. He's not a bad guy, but he's about as warm as a blizzard. You're right though. Let's go check on them." He says and the foursome walk off towards the Dining Hall.

Hinata wanted to protest that, but she knew she couldn't. Her father was a good man. He just wasn't a particularly warm one.

Well at least that's what she thought, until they walked in on him having breakfast with the Minis again. He was being surprisingly gentle towards the younger Sasuke. They soon sound out why.

"You do seem to have a fondness for strawberry pancakes." He notes.

 _"Yeah! Their the best. My mother used to make them all the time."_ Sasuke responds brightly, until he seemed to remember something and suddenly his eyes were downcast in sadness.

Uh oh. Hinata looks at her Sasuke in concern. It was clear that the Mini Sasuke was fully aware of the Massacre. She had half hoped that wasn't the case. Helping a child cope with that sort of trauma wasn't easy, but the reverse was perhaps even crueler. If he didn't know, they'd be sending an unsuspecting child back to a past where his family wasn't going to be around much longer.

"Well you can have all the strawberry pancakes you like here." Hiashi offers.

Hinata saw present Sasuke wince when his younger counterpart forced a "brave" smile. Even at seven, he was already beginning to learn to hide his real emotions. It was quite tragic to witness.

 _"Thank you."_ He mumbles and glances at Hinata.

His attention was now firmly back on his "playmate." Sasuke couldn't hear what his younger self was saying, but he was apparently trying to tell Hinata something. She kept touching her face and he kept shaking his head.

 _"Here. I'll get it."_ He says as he licks some whip cream off her nose.

Hiashi blinks. He didn't know whether to find that adorable or disturbing. He settles on adorable. This version of Sasuke was nothing more than a child. He obviously wasn't going to try to seduce anyone for a good long time. It had been innocent.

 _"Tha-nks!"_ Hinata says with a quiet giggle and Sasuke smiles.

 **"I know what you're thinking, but you can't do it. You can't tell him the truth about Itachi. It would alter the timeline too radically. I know it sounds cruel and I wish there was another way, but there isn't."** Sasuke whispers to himself.

The present Sasuke stiffens. Yes, that was exactly what he had been thinking. Maybe if he told his younger self the truth, he could have at least found a way to save Itachi. He could have his brother back.

"I know you're right. It still hurts though. It feels like lying." He murmurs.

 **"If you told him, do you really think that he'd be able to understand? You were a smart boy, but even you had limits."** Hinata says sympathetically.

Sasuke sighs. That was a good point. He wasn't entirely certain if his younger self would understand the truth, even if he did tell him. He had barely been able to wrap his head around it as a teenager. It wouldn't be fair to expect an innocent child to understand everything.

"Probably not." He admits.

His Hinata places her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Sasuke smiles at the gesture. He could see why his younger self seemed to like her so much. If Hinata was nothing else, she was kind and empathetic. Two traits that he had especially needed back then .

 _"It's the adult us!"_ Hinata says after a moment.

 _Yeah!"_ Sasuke agrees and the children race over to their counterparts.

The older version couldn't help but smile. The Minis were absolutely adorable in a lot of ways. What wasn't as adorable was when Mini Sasuke notices the present day Sasuke was missing an arm.

 _"Where did your arm go?! Did it hurt when you lost it?! How didn't you bleed to death?! That looks like it should have been really painful!"_ He exclaims.

"It's a very long story. It doesn't hurt right now. Hinata gave me a lot of medication. Don't worry about it right now." He tries to assure his younger self.

 _"But if you lost your arm, that means he's going to lose his."_ Hinata reasons.

He mentally groans. Great. Just great. That was the wrong thing to say. His younger self's eyes go wide in horror.

 _"Did you lose it while you fought Itachi? Is he dead? Did you kill him?"_ Sasuke asks.

 **"No, you don't lose your arm during a fight with Itachi. As for the rest, we can't tell you that. You don't want to find out too much about your future. It might change things for the worst."** Sasuke steps in to save the day.

The youngest Sasuke frowns. It was obvious that his young mind was trying to sort through that. After a minute or two, he nods his head somberly.

 _"Alright, but why do you have your arm though? The Middle Me doesn't have his arm, but you do."_ He says.

 **"He gets an arm transplant."** Hinata says.

The Mini Hinata pauses. Hmm. She wasn't sure that they should tell Sasuke that. After all, they just said they couldn't answer questions because it might change the future.

 _"Maybe you shouldn't h-ave told him that. You don't want to c-hange the future."_ She stammers.

The oldest Sasuke shakes his head. He hugs the smallest Hinata. She was such a cute, little skittish bunny at age. Adorable and so frightened of well almost everything. It brought out your protective instincts.

 **"Small things are okay. He would have guessed that anyway."** He assures her.

 _"Oh okay."_ She mumbles as she plays with his traveler's cloak.

Hiashi shakes his head. This was such a strange situation. He had no idea what they were going to do about all the Sasukes and Hinatas running around.

"I imagine that you should be getting in touch with the Lady Hokage and Naruto soon. She will want to monitor the situation closely and I'm not particularly fond of the idea Naruto barraging in unannounced, if you don't brief him." Hiashi warns them.

"That's true. I'll go find him." Sasuke says and he leaves the estate, only to return a few minutes later with Naurto.

"Oh come on! Like I was going to stay away when there are three Sasukes and three Hinatas running around. Besides, Granny Tsunade wanted me to check on you guys." He exclaims brightly.

The youngest Sasuke looks confused. Granny Tsunade? He didn't know Naruto had grandparents. Sasuke thought he was an orphan.

 _"You have a grandmother? Why aren't you living with her then?"_ He asks.

"Oh um right. It's more of a nickname than anything else. You know? It's because she's old." Naruto explains.

Mini Sasuke raises an eyebrow. It was funny to see a kid react that way to an adult. It was the exact same gesture that the older Sasuke would make whenever he was about to insult the blonde. As if right on cue, he does exactly that.

 _"I guess it doesn't matter how old you get. You're always going to be a loser."_ Mini Saskue says in a deadpanned voice as he goes back to eating his pancakes.

Naruto falls over in shock. He couldn't believe a seven year old said that! Some things would never changed he guessed. Sasuke would always be a bastard, no matter his age!

"Geez. You are such a jerk, Sasuke!" He growls at the older versions.

 **"You deserved that one. Really? Because she's old?"** Sasuke asks.

"You are so lame. You can't blame us for pointing out the obvious. You bring it on yourself." The current Sasuke states with a shrug.

The Hinatas wisely decide to step in. This was probably going to devolve into a fist fight soon and it was really up to them to maintain order. So they did what any smart girl/woman would do. They changed the subject.

"If they are going to be staying with us for awhile, we should get them some clothes." Hinata observes.

"Yeah! We should. We should make him wear pink!" Naruto says with a smirk.

Mini Sasuke makes an identical face to his older counterparts. Clearly, none of them were amused by that suggestion. This drew chuckles from everyone who wasn't an Uchiha.

 **"You can wear pink. God knows it's not that much worse than that hideous color you are always wearing. You might as well put a sign on your back saying, Kill Me."** Sasuke mutters.

"Oh yeah?!" Naruto demands and he nods in confirmation.

Hiashi sighs. Oh boy. One thing was for certain, things weren't going to be boring around the Hyuga Estate anytime soon.

First, they had two deal with two playful seven year olds. One of which was dealing with the recent trauma of his family's massacre. Next, they had to deal with present day Hinata and Sasuke. Which he wasn't too happy about because he certainly didn't trust the current Sasuke. Finally, they had to deal with the future versions. The Hyuga Patriarch was positive that they were hiding something. He just didn't know what yet.

"Well I'm certain that we can find something that will fit all of you at the Estate. I do not wish to "ground" any of you, but I don't think that it's a wise idea to let our visitors be seen out and about in the village much." Hiashi reasons.

 **"You're right, father. People would ask questions. My Sasuke and I might be able to travel and people might think that we just got a makeover, but our younger selves would stick out like sore thumbs."** Hinata reasons.

Hiashi raises an eyebrow at the phrase, **"My Sasuke."** The father of two wasn't certain that he liked the way she said that. That sounded far too personal for his liking. He pawns it off to him imagining things for the time being.

"Good. Very well. Come along, I'm sure that we can find something that will fit all of you. Well except for present day Sasuke and Hinata, of course. You have your own clothes." He states as he leads them further into the estate.

 _"Yay! We get to play Dress Up!"_ Hinata says with a giggle.

 _"Girls are so weird. Why do they like changing their clothes so much?"_ Sasuke mutters to himself as they follow the Hyuga Patriarch.

 **"Believe me, someday you will be glad that girls like to play Dress Up. When you are older, much older though."** Sasuke says with a smirk and his younger self gives him a funny look.

Naruto blinks at that comment. Whoa. It sounded like the bastard actually go at girlfriend at some point.

"Who have you been playing Dress Up with?" The blonde asks.

 **"Naruto! You don't want to alter the timeline, by asking questions like that!"** Hinata protests.

"Alright. I guess you're right. I'm just glad that he found someone who doesn't mind putting up with his bastardlyness." The blonde says brightly.

Sasuke twitches. Bastardlyness wasn't even a real word. He really was going to have to find some time to kick Naruto's ass.

"First of all, that's not a real world. Secondly, I'm not you. If I want a woman's attention, I know how to get it." Sasuke retorts.

"Pft! Yeah, right! You've never even kissed a girl." Naruto argues.

"Well neither have you." Sasuke snaps at him.

Hiashi shakes his head. This was completely bizarre. He had no idea how he was going to keep his family's home in one piece at this rate. Though he would be lying, if he said it wasn't entertaining.

"Alright, boys. That's enough. We have more important things to do than to watch you two bicker. Ah here we were. This room is where we keep old clothes that no one wears anymore." He states as he opens the room and chuckles as he watches the different Sasukes and Hinata's look around in awe.

Yes, it was very entertaining. Hiashi decides that he really should go and check to see if the Estate was fireproof. The Uchihas were a Fire Clan after all and they now had three of them staying as guests. One could never be too careful.


	3. Chapter 3

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 3

Later that day, Hinata and Sasuke manage to slip away during the "clothing shopping." They both already had clothes. Hinata had clothes at the Hyuga Estate and Sasuke could just go back to his District.

Sasuke would have given his other selves some clothes, but none of them would have fit. His current clothes were too big for Mini Sasuke and too small for Future Sasuke. So they were stuck sorting through Hyuga hand-me-downs.

"What did she tell you?" Hinata asks once they were alone in her room.

"She told me that she couldn't disrupt the timeline, but she did imply that this has happened before. It's strange. After the Massacre, I had the strangest dream. I forgot all about it when I woke up because I overheard the nurses talking about what happened to my family, but we've been through this before." Sasuke whispers.

Hinata frowns. They had? Was it possible that she had simply pawned it off to a dream as well?

"I suppose that it's possible that we both just thought it was a dream and forgot about it. Your older self was more talkative." She mumbles.

"That's good. What did he say?" The raven haired ninja asks the Hyuga Princess.

Hinata pauses. The young woman wasn't sure how she was going to explain everything to him. It felt like he had been trying to tell her something important, but she didn't get it.

"He says that we are very close in the future." She begins tentatively.

"That makes sense. They came through the mirror together. The Minis just came together because they were called forth. We barely knew each other as kids, so clearly something happens in the future that links us in a way." The Uchiha replies.

The bluenette nods. Well so far, so good. Hinata decides to pass on further. Sasuke had every right to know what she did, after all. This involved him too!

"He also said that I'm closer to you than Naruto is. You two didn't have a fight. It's just that you have your own lives to lead and families to take care of it." She continues.

That definitely perked Sasuke's interest. She had never really seen her Sasuke look hopeful before. Well at least not since he was Mini Sasuke's age. In a way, it was actually cute.

"Well that makes sense. Did she say who my wife was and how many children, I had?" Sasuke asks.

"Sasuke, that is really not the point. Besides, their us. They're both too smart to say something like that. Information like that could radically alter the future." Hinata gently chastises him.

Sasuke sighs. Well he had expected that answer. Still it was worth a try and Hinata had found out at least one key fact that they hadn't been known before. In the future, they were close.

"Alright. So we are friends in the future and at some point I'm going to be a father by 27 at the latest." He says smugly.

"Sasuke, you are acting like a child that thinks he got away with stealing a cookie from the cookie jar, right now." Hinata says with a giggle.

It was true. He really thought that he was being sneaky by finding that out. He also was reminding the bluenette of a rather proud peacock, showing his feathers. Fatherhood apparently agreed with him. Well at least the concept of it did.

"Maybe a little. Nevermind. I got carried away there for a minute. It's just that other than Naruto and Taka, I've been…forget it. Did he say anything else?" The ninja inquires.

Hinata sighs because she knew what he had been about to say. She might not know Sasuke that well yet, but it was tragically obvious. _"It's just that other than Naruto and Taka, I've been_ _ **alone for so long."**_

They both knew what he meant. She was pretty sure that Sasuke knew that she knew. Still but he was still too proud to say that.

"It's alright. Sasuke, it's only natural to be curious. He was also rather insistent that I didn't have a reason to be nervous around him." Hinata continues.

Idly, she wonders if Mini Sasuke was that proud or if he had just developed that pride as a defense mechanism later on. She shakes her head as if to dispel such thoughts. At the moment, it didn't really matter why he was that way. It just mattered that he was.

"Yeah. I imagine that you are curious too. Well that's not that surprising. If we are really that close in the future, of course he was going to reassure you like that. Why do you look a little spooked about that? It sounds fairly normal to me." The Uchiha asks.

"He said that he didn't bite." The Hyuga woman clarifies.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He still didn't get it. So what? That was as really common expression.

"Hinata, that's just an old saying. It just means that he doesn't want you to be nervous around him. There's nothing odd about that. There has to be more to the story." Sasuke states.

"He said he wouldn't bite me, **TODAY.** " Hinata mumbles with a blush.

Sasuke blinks. To him that sounded like his older self was flirting with his Hinata. What the Hell was going on? Then again, he hadn't heard him say it. Maybe it had been a reference to his ninja abilities? Had he meant that he was still more bite than bark?

"Alright. Well now you got my attention. You didn't say anything too suspicious, but there was one thing that I noticed. You were really comfortable around me. It's possible that's only because we are friends, but I feel like something strange is going on. I just don't know what." Sasuke admits.

"I feel the same way." Hinata agrees.

Meanwhile the Minis were still trying on clothes. Hinata had darted inside a changing room and was just now coming out. She was wearing a pale blue kimono when she came out.

 _"Pretty."_ Sasuke says simply, much to Naruto's amusement.

Hinata smiles shyly and walks over to her new friend. She thrusts something into his hand. Hiashi glances down and was relieved to see that she had just tossed some clothes at him.

 _"Thank you. You should try these on. I think they will fit."_ She informs him.

 _"Okay."_ Sasuke says with a smile.

Naruto was trying his best not to laugh, but he couldn't help it. This was priceless. Did the Mini Bastard have a crush on Mini Hinata? Damn. That was funny!

 _"Are you laughing at me?"_ Sasuke scowls at Naruto and crosses his arms.

"No. No. Of course not. It's just cute that you have you're first crush. Honestly, I was starting to wonder if you even liked girls." The blonde tells him.

Mini Sasuke didn't entirely get the implication of the last part, but he knew when he was being teased. He didn't like it. So he did what any Uchiha would do. He defended his honor by breathing a fireball at the person who "insulted" him.

 _"FIREBALL JUTSU: PHOENIX FLOWER STYLE!"_ Sasuke says as he hurls the fireball at the boisterous ninja.

"Sasuke, can you calm your younger self down?" Hiashi asks with a dramatic sigh.

Sasuke smirks. Why? This was funny. The loser kinda deserved that one. It wasn't like a fireball was going to take down Naruto Uzumaki and they all knew it. So why not let the Mini Sasuke have fun?

 **"Oh alright, but he's just having fun. Sasuke, please don't turn Naruto into fried loser."** He mutters.

 _"Awe okay."_ Sasuke pouts.

 _"You can make fire?! I thought people couldn't do that until Chunin level."_ Hinata says in awe.

Mini Sasuke nods. Yeah. He could make fire. Uchihas weren't considered adults until they could perform their Clan's trademark jutsu.

 _"Yeah. My father taught me how to do it. It took me awhile to get it right, but I can make fire easily now."_ He says proudly.

Hiashi shakes his head. He didn't know whether to find this scene adorable or disturbing. The child could always use fire. He definitely need to start fireproofing the Estate.

 **"You should try on your new clothes."** Hinata reminds him gently and Mini Sasuke darts inside the changing room.

"I do hate to confine the both of you, but there really is no other choice. I hope that you don't mind staying at our Estate during the entire duration of your stay. We simply can't risk anyone finding out what that mirror can do." The Hyuga Patriarch says.

 **"We're fine with it. It's a massive Estate. It's not as if either of us are going to suffer from claustrophobia while we stay here."** Sasuke replies.

Hiashi raises an eyebrow. Sasuke was speaking for himself and Hinata. The older ninja wasn't certain if that was just out of natural arrogance or something else. Something in the pit of his stomach was giving him an uneasy feeling though. He was having a hard time convincing himself that it was just arrogance on his behalf.

Sasuke was certainly a cocky ninja, but it just seemed like there was more going on. That and the oldest Sasuke knew his way around the Estate. It was as if he had been here before, many times. Hiashi could tell the difference between someone unfamiliar with the Estate and someone who had been a frequent visitor. Sasuke was the latter.

"Hinata, do you agree with him?" He asks.

 **"Yes, we completely understand why staying at the Estate is the smarter move. Neither of us want to cause any trouble."** She says.

There it was again! _**We**_ this and _**We**_ that. They were speaking as if they were a unit. It was almost as if they were on the same squad or something. Quite frankly, it was beginning to concern him.

 _"It fits! What do you think?"_ Sasuke asks as he comes bounding out of the changing room in his new white male fight kimono.

 _"It looks very nice. White is a good color on you."_ Hinata mumbles shyly.

Maybe that was it. They were on the same squad. That is why they were so friendly towards each other. The Sharingan and Byakugan would be a powerful combination on any squad. Perhaps the next Hokage saw that and put them on the same team?

If Sasuke was Hinata's teammate, that would explain why he was familiar with their home. A teammate might be invited over for dinner or something of that nature. It was a common practice to help stimulate bonding on the squads. That wouldn't be too unsettling.

 **"She's right. It does look very good on you."** Hinata assures him.

 **"Speaking of looking good, where are our other counterparts?"** Sasuke asks as he looks around.

Naruto blinks. Damn. Their version of Sasuke and Hinata had snuck off at some point and they didn't even notice. The question was where did they go though?

 _"They probably went to their rooms."_ Hinata suggests.

"That's a very good guess. I'll go check. Everyone else, kindly wait here. We don't need to chase everyone all over the place." Hiashi states as he heads off towards Hinata's room.

He figured that it was best to check his daughter's room first. She'd feel more comfortable there. So it was the perfectly place for them to "conspire" together.

A few days ago, the very idea would have been laughable. Sasuke Uchiha in Hinata's room? The Hyuga Patriarch would have laughed in the face of anyone who suggested such an outrageous notion. Today was a brand new world though.

"Hinata, Sasuke?" The lavender eyed man asks as he knocks on his daughter's bedroom door.

Hinata jumps from behind the door when she heard her father's voice. She quickly gets up and goes to answer it. The last thing that she needed was for him to activate his Byakugan, if she took too long to answer it.

"Sorry, father. We didn't mean to worry you. It's just that we already had clothes and thought it might be best to discuss everything in private. Sasuke and I didn't want our older selves to overhear it." She explains.

He couldn't really argue with that logic. Clearly, it would be better to discuss such things out of hearing range of their older counterparts. Still he was disturbed.

Now the modern Hinata was referring to herself and Sasuke as a **we.** He didn't particularly care for that. Naturally, they would feel closer to each other because the young ninjas were going through a very bizarre situation with each other. Hiashi couldn't help but feel that this might spiral into something more concerning though.

"That makes sense. Did the other Sasuke and Hinata open up to either of you?" He inquires.

"A little. We've both been through this before. Neither of us remembered though. I must have just have decided it was a strange dream and never thought about it again. It looks like something similar happened with Hinata." Sasuke explains.

That was plausible. How else would two young children rationalize this very strange situation? Of course they were going to convince themselves that it was nothing but a dream. Their young developing minds couldn't process it any other way.

"That makes sense. Did they say anything else?" The Hyuga man inquires once more.

"Nothing that is very useful to finding out why they came here. We talked a little bit, but nothing really came of it. I think that our older selves are both worried about disrupting the timeline too much." Hinata says.

The Hyuga Patriarch nods his head. Unfortunately, he had expected that. He certainly would have kept his cards close to his vest, if he had been sent back to the past.

"I assumed as much. Come. You don't want to make the other sets worried." Hiashi instructs them.

"The other sets?" Sasuke asks with a raised eyebrow.

Hiashi shrugs. How else was he supposed to describe all of the Hinatas and Sasuke running around. Sets seemed as good a description as any really.

"What else do you think we should call them?" He asks.

Sasuke pauses as he considers that question. Hmm. That was a damn good question. He didn't really know.

"On second thought, sets works." He says as they follow him back to the others.

A few hours later, Sasuke and Hinata decide that everyone else was likely asleep. The married couple had decided to meet in the Hyuga Library. It wasn't likely that someone would have an irresistible urge to grab a book to read at 3 A.M. So it probably the most privacy that they were ever going to get.

 **"Do you think that they are starting to suspect why we are really here?"** Hinata asks.

 **"Perhaps. Your father was giving us some suspicious looks. It might not be our younger selves that find out we are married. You're father is rather perceptive. That and I might have dropped a hint or two. I didn't plan on it, it's just that she's you. I can't keep secrets from you."** Sasuke replies.

Hinata shakes her head in amusement. That was true. Sasuke might be a private person, but he was very open around his family.

 **"I'm not angry. You didn't say anything that we didn't hear that last time, but we have to make sure that we don't change the timeline."** She reminds him.

 **"I know. We really do have to convince him to take that transplant."** He states and Hinata nods in agreement.

She smiles as she remembers how they got together. Sasuke could be very romantic when he wanted to be. It was just a side of himself that he didn't show anyone, besides her.

 _"I think the transplant is going well. Can you bend your arm?" Hinata asked Sasuke._

 _The Middle Uchiha had agreed to get the transplant of several reasons. First, his older self already had two arms. So it was something of a given that he would one day as well. Secondly, Hinata had a good point. He'd be able to protect the Leaf better this way. Hinata suspected there were more reasons, but Sasuke wouldn't tell her._

 _"I can try." He replied as he bent his arm._

 _"Is it painful to bend or move it at all?" She whispered._

 _Sasuke shook his head. No, it wasn't. He smirks as he leans over the side of his bed slightly and opens a dresser drawer that was nearby. The raven haired pulled something out and handed it to Hinata._

 _"What's this?" She asked in confusion and blinks when she noticed it was a rather large bouquet of white lilies._

 _"Flowers. I wanted to thank you for everything. I know that things have been really bizarre lately, but there is no one that I would rather go through this than you. Not to mention, I do appreciate you helping me recover from the transplant." Sasuke told her._

 _Hinata smiled. She sniffed the beautiful flowers happily. That was surprisingly sweet of him._

 _"Thank you. Their beautiful. Why white lilies though?" The bluenette asked._

 _"They remind me of you. White generally symbolizes purity and innocence. I can't think of anyone that describes better than you. That and lilies are a rather modest flower. They aren't showy, but they are beautiful." He explained._

 _Hinata couldn't help but giggle at that explanation. Who would have thought that Sasuke Uchiha would put so much thought into flowers? The world had certainly turned on its axis._

 _"Thank you. Their beautiful. I didn't realize you were such an expert on floral symbolism. Perhaps you should try to get a job in Ino's Flower Shop?" She suggested._

 _Sasuke snorted in amusement. It was rather obvious what he thought of that idea. The very idea of Sasuke Uchiha working in a flower shop was almost blasphemous and they both knew it._

 _"I don't want a job in a flower shop. I think we both know that I would likely end up burning it to the ground out of frustration." The raven haired ninja replied._

 _"That's true. Have you thought about what you want to do, when this all settles down?" The young Hyuga woman asked._

 _"A little. There are really only two jobs that interest me." He stated vaguely._

 _Hinata tilted her head. Well that was a good sign. At least Sasuke was thinking about his future. Then again, how could he not? His future self had been staying with them for awhile._

 _"What are they? I mean, if you don't mind telling me. You don't have to obviously. I'm just curious." She stammered out._

 _"The first is I'd like to be a medic. I know it's not a natural fit for me, but the Sharingan would make learning medical jutsus easier. It would be nice to use my abilities for something other than destruction." Sasuke told her._

 _Hinata blinked. Of all the things that she had expected him to say, that had been at the bottom of the list. He wanted to be a medic?!_

 _"Oh well I'm gl-ad! I bet you'd be really good at that job. Plus, it would probably go a long way towards helping people become more c-comfortable with you. You're really smart. So I don't think it would take very long for you to go through the training program either." What's the other job?" She inquired._

 _Sasuke got up. Hinata could see that he had made some sort of important decision. His eyes looked both determined and perhaps even a little nervous. She had never seen that look before, as he walked towards her._

 _"Taking care of you. I don't want anything to happen my lily." The raven haired ninja said as he gently brushed his lips against hers._

 _It was a kiss, but a very gentle one. It was more like he was ghosting his lips against hers. Sasuke was asking for permission in his own way._

 _Hinata's eyes widened in shock. She had never expected that he would kiss her. Years later, if anyone asked her, she would say that she acted on instinct._

 _"I'd like that." The Hyuga woman whispered before returning his kiss._

 _That must have been the case, because she didn't remember making a conscious decision to kiss back. She did though. That was all the consent that Sasuke needed, apparently._

 _He didn't kiss how she expected him to. Hinata had expected him to be more aggressive and fiery. Instead, she got a slow and sensual, openmouthed kiss. The raven haired ninja certainly wasn't shy about seducing her mouth with his tongue either. It might have been a gentle kiss, but there was no question that he was the one in control._

 _That was just fine with Hinata though. It felt incredibly_ _ **good.**_ _She soon found herself moaning into it and wrapped her arms around his neck, so that she could pull him closer._

 _"You taste like honey." He murmured after breaking the kiss and caressing her cheek._

 _"You taste like cinnamon candy." She told him._

 _That had been the real start of everything. Hinata shocked even herself when she kissed him again. It didn't take long for Sasuke to have her pinned against the wall. Her legs were wrapped tightly around her waist._

 _Everything had felt so good. She'd never been kissed like that before. No one had ever thrown her up against the all in a frenzy of desire. It had all been perfect, until they heard the sound of children laughing._

 _"Catch me, if you can!" Her younger self giggled, as Mini Sasuke chased after her._

 _The modern Sasuke and Hinata quickly broke apart. They definitely couldn't let their younger selves see them like that. The two had glanced at each other in a silent promise to talk about this later, before they took off after the Minis._

To this day, Sasuke still got her white lilies for their anniversary. Hinata responded in kind, by giving him cinnamon flavored candy. It was one of their traditions.

 **"I have to admit that was a good line about taking care of me."** Hinata says.

 **"What can I say? You inspire me. Besides, didn't I keep my promise?"** Sasuke said with a smirk.

 **"You definitely kept your promise."** The bluenette informs him with a smile.

Sasuke smirks more. He wraps his arms around his wife and indulges in holding her. He missed doing that, but he knew it was a risk. Someone might accidentally walk in on them.

 **"I really miss being able to PROPERLY take care of you."** He whispers hotly into her ear.

Hinata felt herself shiver. Oh yes. She missed that as well. She missed that a lot. Still they had to be very careful. Neither of them could say with certainty, how their younger selves would react to the truth. For now, it was best to play it safe.

 **"I miss you too. I miss waking up every day in your arms and…other things."** She admits with a blush.

 **"It's cute that you still blush after all these years."** Sasuke informs her and kisses her cheek before releasing her from his embrace with a sigh.

Meanwhile the Minis were at it again. Both of them were playing detectives. They were going to get to the bottom of all this strangeness.

 _"I see them! Their in the library!"_ Hinata says.

 _"Okay! Let's go. You can deactivate it now. You don't want to wear yourself out._ " Sasuke said as he and Hinata made their way to the library.

What they found there, confused them both. Their older selves weren't doing much of anything. They were talking to each other, but neither of them could make out the words.

 **"You know, it's not very nice to spy."** Sasuke notes with amusement as he grabs the younger Hinata and the other Sasuke was scooped up into Oldest Hinata's arms.

 _"Eep! We w-eren't spying!"_ Hinata protests.

Sasuke chuckles. Did they really think that he and Hinata were born yesterday? It was rather obvious that they were indeed spying.

 **"If you weren't spying, what we you doing?"** Hinata asks in amusement.

 _"We were playing Hide and Go Seek!"_ Sasuke exclaims.

The oldest Hyuga and Uchiha look at each other and try not to laugh. That was actually a rather clever excuse for such a young child. Unfortunately for him, neither of them were dumb enough to buy it.

 **"Well come on. We'll help you seek out your bed."** Sasuke informs them as the older ninjas cart their younger selves back to their rooms.

Thankfully, it didn't take long to tuck them both in. They had a lot of practice putting kids to bed. After all, they were parents in their own time. Hinata and Sasuke knew exactly how to respond to situations like these by now.

 **"That was a close one."** She whispers.

 **"Too close. They can't find out that we are married until after you get your lilies."** Sasuke says and Hinata nods in agreement as the two of them head back to their rooms.

Hinata sighs as she shuts the door behind her. This was driving her insane. She could only hope that Sasuke got his arm transplant soon and that the first kiss wasn't far behind. She should be able to sleep in her husband's arms and they shouldn't have to be worried that someone would see them embracing!

Unbeknownst to Hinata, Sasuke was having similar thoughts. He had grown used to curling up into his Lily. This was fucking frustrating. Not only enjoy some _**quality time**_ with his wife, he couldn't sleep without her by his side.

"Teenagers." He grumbles.

Yes, that was the problem. Their younger selves were teenagers. They were completely oblivious to what was really going on. Neither of them at the moment could possibly entertain the idea that they would end up married with children. He consoles himself with the fact that that would change soon enough. He just had to be patient.


	4. Chapter 4

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

 **Chapter Notation** : There is a flashback scene in italics. It includes an implied lemon. If you prefer a more innocent love story, you may want to skip the flashback. I have also added a "new Sharingan trigger." I don't believe that is cannon, but this tweak has been well received in some of my other stories. So I brought it back.

Chapter 4

A week later, it became rather apparent that the other sets of Hinatas and Sasukes were likely going to be staying in the Leaf for awhile. Life began to fall into a pattern. Mini Sasuke and Hinata would play and train all day. The "Middle Hinata and Sasuke" would unsuccessfully try to interrogate the eldest set. And the eldest set would wait for everyone to be asleep, before they would try to sneak into each other's rooms.

"Hinata, I've been thinking." Sasuke says as he watches their younger selves play with the other Hyuga children.

"Do you think that they are ever going to tell us anything important?" The bluenette asks as she glances towards their older counterparts.

"Not willingly, but that's not what I was talking about. I think I'd like to have my arm transplant done. That's if, you are still willing of course. I've obviously got two arms in the future and we don't want to change the future over something as minor as a limb." Sasuke reasons.

Hinata wanted to argue with him that a limb wasn't minor. She decides against it though. Sasuke was finally seeing reason. She wasn't going to argue about why.

"Of course, I'm still willing. When would you like to have it done?" She whispers.

"As soon as possible." The raven haired ninja informs her.

He couldn't suppress a chuckle as he looked back at the Minis. They were playing some sort of game with his older self. Sasuke was pretty sure that it was a modified version of tag.

The Minis seemed to find great delight in tugging on the eldest Sasuke's traveling cloak and darting off. His older self was humoring them. Sasuke knew damn well that he could have caught them both with ease. It was nice that he pretended otherwise though.

"You're very good with children." Hinata notes.

"Thanks. Well maybe it'd be more accurate to say that I will be." Sasuke mutters.

Hinata shakes her head in amusement as she watches the game. It looked like her younger self found his cloak just as fascinating as she did. Though admittedly, not for the same reasons.

 **"Is that getting annoying yet?"** She asks with a giggle.

 **"Not yet. Though I must admit that I prefer your version of this game."** Sasuke says and smirks.

Luckily for them, the Minis were too busy amusing themselves to ponder the meaning of that statement. So were the Hyuga children. Oh and it was definitely a good thing that their middle counterparts hadn't overheard THAT comment.

Hinata feels her face heat up at that reminded. It wasn't that she hadn't been thinking the exact same thing, but she was shocked that he would actually risk saying that. Then again, it might have slipped out before he could think about it. Either way that prompted a particularly fun memory.

 _"Hinata, have you seen my cloak? Naruto wants me to go with him on a quick trip to the Sand. Nothing important. Just trade. Apparently, Gaara wants to make sure that I'm still being a good Uchiha." Sasuke said._

 _That was when she sauntered over to her new lover. She was feeling bolder than she would have ever imagined just a few months ago. The old Hinata never would have dreamed of doing what she was about to do._

 _"Yes, I found it. I can see why you like it so much now. It is very comfortable." She informed him with a shy smile._

 _"I have to admit that it does look much better on you." Sasuke said slyly as he walked over towards his Lily._

 _Hinata was wearing his cloak. Of course, it was rather large on her. That was only to be expected. It was his, not hers._

 _He wasn't really sure what it was that was so damn attractive about seeing her wear it. Sasuke pawned it off to some primitive part of his brain. That part really liked seeing Hinata "marked" in such a way._

 _"Thank you. Are you sure you have to?" She whispered as she placed a gentle kiss on his lips._

 _Everyone knew that was his cloak and anyone who saw her in it, would definitely know who she got it from. It would have been a very public statement. Well it would have been, if they weren't inside his house._

 _"Well I don't have to go. Really, I think the loser just wants the company and Gaara wants to see me for himself. It'd be better if I did, but it's somewhat optional." Sasuke told her after returning the kiss._

 _"Well if it was optional, I'm sure that the Kazekage would understand. I don't really want you to go. You'd be gone for at least a week." She mumbled._

 _Sasuke sighed and did the math. She was right. If they were going at a steady pace, it was a three day journey to the Sand and three days back. That was six days, plus whatever time it took them to conduct this mission. He assumed that they would stay the night. (After all, even experienced ninjas got exhausted after making that long a trek.)_

 _"I know, but I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised._

 _"Are you sure that you REALLY want to go? I'm sure that Gaara would understand." Hinata asked as she slowly opened the cloak to reveal that she was completely naked underneath._

 _Sasuke blinks. Oh she just wasn't playing fair here. Her wearing his cloak was erotic. Her wearing nothing but his cloak, was irresistible._

 _"Gaara who?" He asked as his Sharingan activated._

 _Hinata smiled. Sasuke was going to stay with her. Once his obsidian black eyes bleed ruby red with desire, Pouncing Mode had been initiated. There was no going back after that point._

 _It was ironic, she mused to herself. Most people associated the Sharingan activating with rage, grief, or fear. Those were certainly triggers, but there were also other emotions that could activate them. More positive ones. In particular, lust seemed to do the trick just fine._

 _"Exactly." Hinata said with a smile as she snuggled into her lover's embrace._

 _That's when the door opened. It was Naruto. Obviously, he was coming to pick up Sasuke._

 _"Oh come on, Hinata. That's fighting really dirty. No male ninja can resist their girlfriend wearing their uniform." Naruto whined when he realizes what was going on._

 _"Maybe it is a little, but you shouldn't try to steal him from me for a week or more, without telling me first! Hmpf." Hinata said as she made sure the cloak covered everything again._

 _For years, she had thought she was in love with Naruto. It had turned out to be just a major case of puppy love, combined with hero worship. So these days, she wasn't about to intentionally flash him._

 _That would have been a very bad move. Sasuke was a rather possessive lover. So she knew exactly what would have happened, if he thought that Naruto had intentionally gotten an eyeful. The Chidoris would have started flying._

 _"Alright. I know that wasn't exactly fair, but neither was this. I guess I'll tell Gaara that you are…busy. I'll just leave out the part about why." The blonde grumbled._

 _"Thanks, loser. I appreciate it. Now if you don't mind, can we have our fucking privacy back?!" Sasuke demanded and Naruto darted off._

 _Sasuke smirked. Hmm. What do you know? The idiot did have some survival instincts after all._

 _"Now where were we?" He asked._

 _"Oh right about here." Hinata told him as she slowly slides out of the traveler's cloak._

 _Yes, Pounce Mode had most certainly been activated. Almost faster than Hinata could blink, her lover had her pinned to the couch. One thing that Sasuke definitely had going in his favor was that he had always been fast. That also applied to stripping. In almost no time at all, they were both completely disrobed._

 _"You know, I finally understand what the older version of me meant by Dress Up." The raven haired ninja informed her with smirk._

 _"Mmm good. I'm glad." Hinata replied as she playfully nipped his ear._

 _The bluenette would later be grateful that Sasuke's parents had apparently chosen rather sturdy furniture. She was impressed that it managed not to break._

 _Sasuke could be quite…enthusiastic when it came to lovemaking. Much to her delight, but it wouldn't have been the first time that some furniture became a causality of their love. Ninja sex was amazing, but it could be murder on your furniture budget when your lover was a frisky Uchiha. A very, very frisky Uchiha. (It was so worth it though!)_

 _"It's Lady Melons!"_ Sasuke exclaims as Tsunade makes her way over to them.

Hiashi cups his face in exasperation. He wasn't sure that he even wanted to know. He decides to ask anyway.

"Her name is Tsunade. She is our Hokage. Her proper title is Lady Tsunade." The Hyuga Patriarch corrects him.

 _"Oh. That's weird. I wonder why the men in your Clan call her Lady Melons then."_ Mini Sasuke muses.

Oh for goodness sake's! Clearly, Hiashi was going to have to have a talk with some of his clansmen. That was no example to set for a young, impressionable child! It was also very disrespectful towards the Hokage!

Privately, he had to admit that it was an accurate nickname. Still it was extremely disrespectful. Just because Tsunade had rather large breasts, was no reason for experienced ninjas to act like overgrown Academy students.

"I'll talk to them later." Hiashi says as he goes to greet Tsunade.

"Hiashi, I see that everyone is getting along rather well. I was wondering if there had been any change in all of this?" The busty blonde asks.

The lavender eyed man was forced to shake his head. Nothing had chained. The Minis were entirely clueless about what was going on and the eldest set wasn't giving away anything.

"I'm afraid not. We still have no idea why any of them are here. Though I have to admit, they've all been surprisingly well behaved." The middle aged man says.

"Well that's good. It looks like the modern version want to speak with us." She observes as Sasuke and Hinata make their way over to them.

Hinata and Sasuke decided that since Tsunade was there, it was as good a time as any to tell her. They were going to tell her that Sasuke had decided to take the arm transplant. Neither was really sure what her reaction would be, but they both knew that they had to do it.

"Lady Tsunade, it's so good to see you. Sasuke has decided that he'd like to get that transplant, after all. I mean the future Sasuke has two arms. So we don't want to alter the timeline." Hinata says in a rush.

"I figured as much. Alright. Sasuke and Hinata, come with me to the hospital." The medic says as she heads off with the "Middle Sasuke and Hinata," following her.

"I shall keep you informed of any new developments, My Lady." Hiashi calls out as they leave and the Hokage murmurs her thanks.

A short while later, Mini Sasuke was in Mini Hinata's room. The two of them knew that something strange was going on. They just weren't exactly sure what. Neither of them thought this was just a dream anymore though.

 _"We have to start thinking like grown ups, if we are going to figure out what's going on."_ Sasuke says.

 _"Yeah. So what do you want to do when you are big?"_ Hinata asks.

 _"Kill Itachi and restore my Clan."_ He replies automatically.

Hinata nods. Well she kinda knew that was coming. If someone had murdered her whole family, she'd be really mad too! Of course, he wanted a family.

 _"Do you know how you are going to do the second part? Father still won't explain how mommies and daddies become mommies and daddies to me."_ She says.

 _"Not really. Cousin Shisui once said something about kunais and pouches though. But I'll figure it out!"_ Sasuke states confidently.

Hinata tilts her head in confusion. That didn't make any sense. She could tell that Sasuke was thinking the same thing. Nevermind. The young Hyuga girl decides it didn't matter at the moment.

 _"Well I think Itachi is probably dead by now. You look pretty happy to me. You wouldn't be happy, if he was alive."_ Hinata reasons.

 _"Yeah. At first, I thought that might be why we were all here. I thought maybe the oldest me would tell the sorta older me, how to kill Itachi. That hasn't happened though. Even if it did, doesn't explain why you are here."_ He says with a frown.

Hinata nods in agreement. There was something else. He probably wasn't here because of Itachi. So that meant that neither of them knew why they were here.

 _"I guess not."_ She mumbles.

 _"What about you? What do you want to do when you get big?"_ Sasuke asks.

 _"I'm going to be Clan Head and a strong ninja. At least that's what I want to do. I'm not su-re that I'll be very good at it."_ She confesses.

Sasuke shakes his head. He was sure that Hinata would make a great Clan Head and Ninja. Neither of those goals would require going to the future.

 _"You'll make a great Clan Head. I don't think that's why we are here though. None of that stuff seems like a good reason for us to be pulled here."_ He sighs.

 _"Maybe we should spy on our older selves some more?"_ She asks.

 _"Yeah! That sounds like a good idea. Sooner or later, they'll mess up and talk about something important. We just got to be patient."_ He says as they race off.

Meanwhile the present day Hinata, Sasuke, and Tsunade arrive at the hospital. The medic instructs them to stay in the operating room while she got a team ready to start on his operation. So Hinata and Sasuke were left waiting while the Hokage got everything prepared.

"Are you nervous?" Hinata asks.

"I've had an eye transplant before. This isn't anywhere near as traumatic was having your brother's eyes implanted into you. I'm not nervous. Besides, I know it goes well. Clearly, my older self survived the operation just fine." He explains smoothly.

Hinata nods at that. She really didn't know how to respond to that. It must have been strange, to see the world through your sibling's eyes. She couldn't imagine having Hanabi's eyes.

"Good point. Well I'm glad you aren't nervous." She says.

"Me too. Though it is bugging me that we don't really know what brought the other sets here." The raven haired ninja admits with a sigh.

That was true. Hinata couldn't deny that she was getting frustrated too. There had to be a reason. They wouldn't time travel just for fun. Obviously, they were missing something important.

That's when Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune came in. Sasuke blinks. There were going to be four medics working on his arm transplant. That seemed a little excessive.

"It takes four of you to handle one transplant?" He asks in amusement.

"Sasuke, your body has been through a lot. You absorbed Orochimaru, you lost a limb, you had an eye transplant, and that's not even factoring in you have a very aggressive kind of chakra. It's a smart precaution to take. Now, are you done sassing the people who are trying to help you?" Tsunade demands in an irritated fashion.

"Yes, Ma'am." Sasuke mutters and gives a mock salute.

Tsunade twitches. Honestly, his younger and older selves were so much easier to work with. Apparently, he was going to remember how to be respectful again at some point in the next decade. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case today.

"Sasuke, can you take off your shirt? It will be easier without your sleeve in the way." Sakura asks.

Sasuke shrugs. She had a point. He was beyond the point where he was embarrassed about taking his shirt off, especially in front of a medic.

"Alright." He says as Tsunade checks all the equipment and hooks up various wires to Sasuke to monitor his vitals during the procedure.

Hinata bites her lower lip. She couldn't explain it for the life of her, but she had the overwhelming urge to hit Sakura. The Hyuga woman didn't like the way that she was looking at Sasuke.

She mentally scolds herself for that reaction. Hinata knew that she was being ridiculous. It was just logical to make sure that the fabric didn't get in the way of what they had to do. The fact that the pink haired woman's eyes were lingering just a little too long over the Uchiha's half naked form, didn't change that.

"Alright. We are going to need you to breathe deeply into this mask and count backwards from 100. Usually by the time someone hits 90 or 80, they are out like a light. You might take a bit longer though." Shizune says as she places the anesthesia mask on Sasuke's face.

Sasuke nods. He begins counting backwards from 100. He made it to thirty-five in his head before he passed out.

"Let's get started. This isn't going to go as smoothly as it did for Naruto. Sasuke waited longer than would be ideal to get a transplant." Tsunade observes.

"But he's going to be okay, right?" Hinata asks.

"Oh he'll be fine. He just won't be a particularly happy patient during his physical therapy after the operation." The blonde assures her.

Back at the Hyuga Estate, the Minis were conducting their mission. Sadly for them, their older selves had anticipated this. They were called out rather early on.

 **"You know, it's very hard to sneak up on yourself."** Sasuke informs them as he scoops up his younger self.

 _"You are both keeping secrets! We don't like it."_ The other Uchiha growls as he tries to wiggle out of the elder Sasuke's hold.

Hinata sighs. It was only natural that children would be curious. It wasn't like the present day Hinata and Sasuke weren't also trying to get answers. She really couldn't hold it against them.

This was the way things had to be for now though. The timeline couldn't be altered. Suddenly, she found herself having a lot more respect for her own older self, who had appeared to hear ten years ago. How they had ever managed to keep this all a secret was really beyond her.

 **"Sometimes a ninja has to keep secrets. Otherwise the mission won't be successful."** Hinata told the mini version of her husband.

It was amazing really. He was only seven and yet somehow his eyes still conveyed exactly the same expression that her Sasuke did, when he thought someone was trying to trick him. Somehow it was both hilarious and a little spooky.

 _"You shouldn't have to keep secrets from us though. We are you."_ Hinata protests and the Mini Sasuke nods in agreement.

 **"It's a very long story. Just trust us that we are doing this because it's the right thing to do."** Sasuke pleads.

The children look at each other. It was rather obvious what they were doing. Sasuke and Hinata were looking to see what the other's reaction was.

 _"Alright. We'll trust you for now, but if we find out that you are tricking us, you'll regret it."_ The youngest Uchiha says.

Sasuke tries not to laugh. Even if the miniature version of himself, could hurt him…what would be the point? He'd be attacking himself. He wondered if he realized that or not.

 **"I'm sure that we will. When the Middle Sasuke gets back, you have to be very nice to him. He's going to be in a lot of pain. He's getting a new arm."** Hinata warns them.

 _"Oh okay."_ Hinata says.

 _"That does sound painful, but I'm sure that it'll be nice to have two arms again. It must be really annoying to try to do everything with one arm."_ Sasuke says brightly.

The future Sasuke nods in agreement. Oh yeah. It had been very annoying. After awhile, he got used to it. He'd be lying though if he said that he didn't prefer having two arms.

 **"It was. One day, it'll happen to you. But that's okay. You'll eventually get another arm. Come on. Why don't you two get some more training in?"** Sasuke asks.

 _"Alright."_ The Minis say as the elder Sasuke and Hinata lead them outside to go train in the gardens.

Sasuke sighs in relief as they watch them throw some kunais. Thank goodness that they had finally taken their word for it. Sasuke didn't know what he would have done, if they hadn't.

 **"I miss them."** Hinata whispers as she watches their younger selves practice.

 **"I miss them too. Don't worry though. Remember what happened last time. We might be in the past for weeks or even months and barely any time will move at all in our era. The kids won't even know we are gone."** Sasuke tries to assure her.

Watching their younger selves train, only reminded each of them of their children. In the future, they had two sons and two daughters. Sasuke was trying to convince Hinata to go for a "tiebreaker." She was just starting to soften on the matter, when they got sucked back into the past.

Their eldest was eight and their youngest was now three. Parenthood could was quite demanding in any circumstance. It was especially so when you had children who could see through walls and breathe fire. Still the boys, girls, and Hinata were the center of his world. He wouldn't trade them for anything.

 **"Do you think that we are still going to have a house when we get back?"** She asks with a giggle.

 **"We should. I mean he hasn't had a temper tantrum that involved fireballs for a month or so. I think Rajah finally outgrew the Terrible Twos. He is three after all."** Sasuke reasons.

Rajah was their youngest son and child. He was only three, but even now it was rather clear that he was the most boisterous of his siblings. Naruto called Rajah, Sasuke's Shadow. He did so for good reason. His "throne" was definitely Sasuke's back.

His other children did enjoy their piggyback rides as well, but Rajah rarely ceded the "prime real estate" known as Sasuke's left shoulder to anyone. So the other three generally fought over who got the right. Carrying two kids on his back was his limit though. He was a fairly large man, but it was a matter of space after that.

 **"Maybe. We probably shouldn't jinx it though."** Hinata says.

 **"You're right. So do you think the next one will be a boy or a girl? Maybe we'll get twins this time, they do run in your family."** Sasuke muses.

Oh boy. Hinata just shakes her head at Sasuke's antics. He certainly took his Clan Restoration duties VERY seriously. Not that she was complaining, but she was going to have to set her foot down eventually.

 **"Six. Unless I get pregnant with twins after number five, we are not going above six. I love our children, Sasuke. But we are not going for a Baker's Dozen!"** Hinata informs him.

 **"Alright. You have a point. I can work with six or seven, if twins are involved."** Sasuke concedes smugly.

She shakes her head in amusement. Sasuke was so cute when he went into proud papa mode. Of course, she would never call him cute to his face. His pride would never recover.

 **"Good. I'm glad that we agree."** She says with a smile.

 **"Mhm. Well we should probably make sure we have lots of pain medication ready. I remember that transplant. It was not an enjoyable experience. I was lucky though. I had a sexy nurse to help me through the worst of it."** He says with a smirk.

Hinata laughs. She was really grateful that their current selves were busy at the moment and the Minis were so distracted. It was nice to actually be able to have a real conversation during the day without worrying about being overheard.

"What is so amusing? I feel as though I have missed a joke?" Hiashi asks as he strides to them.

The two ninjas jumped about three feet in the air. This causes the Hyuga Patriarch to raise an eyebrow. Oh yes. Something was most certainly up. That was not a normal reaction.

 **"Oh just the Minis. Aren't they adorable?"** Hinata asks nervously.

"Yes, they most certainly are. Though please don't insult my intelligence, Hinata. I'm your father. So you know that I wasn't born yesterday. I know that something strange is going on and I'm going to find out sooner or later. So why don't you tell us all what you are hiding now. It will save everyone a lot of trouble." The lavender eyed man inquires.

 **"Lord Hiashi, we would love to do that, but you know that we can't. It could alter the future in a way that might be irreparable."** Sasuke reasons.

The Hyuga Lord sighs. That was accurate. Still he didn't like it. He didn't like that the two of them were clearly keeping a secret from everyone else.

"Very well. I will not press further for now. Come. You must all be hungry." He states.

 **"Thank you."** They both say in relief.

"Of course. HINATA, SASUKE, we are going to have lunch." Hiashi bellows and the Minis come racing over.

The Hyuga Patriarch had said the magic words. Food. Almost nothing got their attention faster than food. It was truly amusing to watch them race over to them all because of the prospect of a full belly.

"I thought that might get your attention." He muses as they head back inside towards the Dining Hall.

Oh Hiashi Hyuga wasn't a fool. He knew why the eldest set wasn't' telling him anything. That didn't mean that he was going to give up on finding out their secret though. He would find out eventually.

He was the Head of the Hyuga Clan. That meant it was his job to keep his family safe. This was a sacred duty that he took very seriously and safety meant no secrets. With that thought in mind, he privately vows to get to the bottom of this.


	5. Chapter 5

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

 **Chapter Notation:** I put up warnings before and after a certain scandalous scene. If you prefer a more innocent love story, you might want to skip it. I think it probably counts as a mini lemon or a strong lime.

Chapter 5

By the end of the operation, Hinata wished that they had put her under as well. It was a nerve-wracking experience to operate on a friend. Hinata pauses as she tries to process that new title that her subconscious had given Sasuke.

Were they friends? Well they had been living in the same Estate for awhile now. They seemed to get along alright. Mostly they were focused on trying to find out the truth from their older set, but still she was a lot closer to him than she ever thought that she would be. He'd always seemed so untouchable before.

"It's alright, Hinata. The operation was a success." Sakura tries to assure her as they head to the break room.

"I know. I knew it would be. The operation worked last time, after all." She mumbles and then her eyes widen as she realizes that she might have inadvertently told Sakura about the other sets.

The pink haired woman shakes her head at Hinata's horrified expression. She knew why the Hyuga Princess looked so startled. She was worried that she had said too much.

"Relax. I already know. Naruto told me. That and I am Tsunade's Apprentice. If he didn't tell me, she was going to." The other medic says reassuringly.

"How many other people know about **them**?" Hinata asks nervously.

She supposed that she should have seen that coming. Of course, Naruto was going to tell Sakura. She was his teammate. The bluenette also couldn't fault Sakura's logic. Tsunade would have told her one way or another. So it was only natural that the pink haired ninja knew.

"It's just me, you, Sasuke, Naruto, Tsunade, and your family. Don't worry. We wouldn't let information like that get out there. I've been dying of curiosity though. How old are the other sets?" Sakura asks.

Hinata pauses. Should she really share that sort of information with anyone? The Hyuga woman frowns as she debates about what the proper answer to that question should be. After a moment or two, Hinata decides that knowing their ages was highly unlikely to alter the timeline.

"The Minis are seven. That's what we call our child versions, by the way. Oh and our older counterparts are 27." The bluenette answers her.

"Oh I remember Sasuke at that age. He was so adorable with his bubble eyes. Twenty-seven? Wow. It's hard to imagine what we'll all look like in ten years." Sakura muses.

Hinata couldn't help but agree with the bubble eyes thing. It had certainly taken some getting used to. Sometimes she still couldn't process that that child was actually Sasuke. Then he would go and do something like call Naruto a loser and it would be a lot easier to believe. No matter what his age was, Sasuke was Sasuke.

"Yeah. Sorry, I don't know what you look like in the future. Only what I look like and what he does." Hinata says.

"What's he look like?" The other woman inquires.

Hinata bites her lower lip. It was back again. That burning feeling in the pit of her stomach. She recognize it generically as anger. More specifically jealousy.

That terrified her really. Hinata was reasonable enough to realize that she had no reason to feel that way towards Sakura. She was only asking what anyone would have asked. Yes, Sakura might still carry a torch for the "Middle Sasuke," but that shouldn't upset her. So why did it?

"I don't think I should tell you that. Who knows what could alter the future?" She replies after thinking about it.

That was true, but that wasn't the real reason. Hinata was being selfish. She didn't want Sakura to know what Sasuke would end up looking like. For some reason, she wanted to keep that to herself (and those who already knew.) It felt like she knew something intimate about the man that the other woman just didn't. She knew it was wrong, but part of her enjoyed that.

"Alright. I guess that's a good point. Seriously, the operation went off without a hitch. Recovery isn't going to be fun, but he'll be fine. It'll take a lot more than a limb transplant to kill him." Sakura informs her.

What made it even worse, is that the pink haired woman seemed oblivious to that fact. Hinata hadn't technically lied. She still felt like she was lying though.

"You're right. It's just different to operate on a friend than a stranger or someone you barely know." Hinata mumbles.

Sakura blinks. She wasn't aware that Hinata and Sasuke were friends. She shakes her head, dismissing that thought. They had been living together for awhile. Of course, they were going to grow closer.

"What's that like? Living with him, I mean? It's one thing to go on missions with someone, it's another to actually live with them." Sakura giggles.

"Well it depends which him you are talking about. There's Mini Sasuke, my Sasuke, and Future Sasuke." Hinata replies with a smile.

 **My** Sasuke?! When did the word my come into play. The pink haired woman haired woman couldn't help but note that possessive word.

She tries to brush it off though. Sakura knew what Hinata meant. She just meant the present day Sasuke. That's all it was. It wasn't like the Hyuga Heiress was dating him or anything like that.

"Well all of them, I guess." Sakura says.

"I don't think I should tell you much about Future Sasuke, but the younger ones should be okay. I'm surprised by how playful the Mini version is really. He likes to play Hide and Go Seek and really likes strawberry pancakes for some reason. He also is very proficient with his fireballs for someone of his age." Hinata notes and rubs the back of her head sheepishly at that last part.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. The image of a younger Sasuke stuffing his face with pancakes was a rather cute one. Though she imagined the fireball thing could get dangerous.

"That's good. It's nice to see him acting like a regular kid. What about our Sasuke?" She asks.

"He's a night owl and definitely not shy. Sasuke's been surprisingly understanding about all of this, especially that one time." She mumbles and her face heats up in a blush.

Sakura raises an eyebrow. She was suddenly very interested to hear what that _"one time,"_ meant. Hinata was the type of person who blushed easily, so maybe it wasn't as scandalous as it first sounded.

"What was he understanding about?" She asks.

"Oh um look at the time, I gotta go. It's my sister's birthday today. I really should be going. Lady Tsunade was kind enough to give me permission to leave work early to celebrate. I can't be late." Hinata says as she scoots off.

"Something really strange is going on." Sakura mutters and she shakes her head as the bluenette departed.

Meanwhile back at the Estate, Mini Sasuke cocks his head to the side in confusion. It looked like some sort of party was going on. There was a lot of food, balloons, glitter, and presents on the table.

 _"It's my sister's birthday today."_ Hinata says.

 _"Oh. That explains it. Isn't it weird? I mean I thought she was like a baby or something back in our time. Now she's older than us."_ Sasuke says.

 _"Yeah. It's strange, but that cake looks yummy."_ Hinata replies.

Sasuke glances at the massive cake on the table. Well that was true. That cake did look good.

He smirks and gestures for Hinata to follow him. The two children slowly begin inching their way to the table. Each of them were intent on stealing a big slice of cake, with lots of frosting on it. Unfortunately for them, it didn't work out that way.

"You two are most certainly a handful. You can't have any cake, until everyone else is ready to eat." Hiashi informs them as he scoops up the Minis.

The Minis do their best to look innocent and the Hyuga Patriarch just shakes his head. They didn't seriously think that he was dumb enough to fall for that look, did they?

He had two daughters. Hiashi certainly knew what young children were like. And he definitely knew when they were up to something.

 **"This is pretty good cake. Try, some Hinata."** Sasuke says as he offers her a slice.

Hiashi just smacks his forehead. He couldn't believe it. He had stopped the Minis from stealing some cake early, only for the eldest Sasuke to steal some. It was unbelievable!

 **"You're right. That IS good."** The bluenette agrees after she takes a bite.

Sasuke smiles and Hiashi looks up at the ceiling. Why him? Seriously, why him? What the Hell was the world coming to?

A former S Class Ninja, had just stolen a slice of cake like a naughty child. To make matters worse, he was feeding his daughter. It was just such a bizarre scene. It was just a little too reminiscent of a wedding really.

 **"I don't think your father is too happy about us stealing some cake."** Sasuke murmurs.

 **"That's alright. It was only one slice. There's plenty left."** Hinata reasons.

Hiashi had been to enough weddings to be disturbed by the scene playing out before him. Sometimes the bride and groom would feed each other cake afterwards. That's what it reminded him off.

It couldn't be though. They couldn't possibly be lovers, could they? The very idea was absurd!

"Lord Hiashi, where would you like this banner hung?" One of the Hyugas asks.

"Oh just lay it by the door. We want Hanabi to see it, when she comes home." The Hyuga Patriarch states and the other Hyuga heads off to complete his appointed task.

The eldest set did act as a unit though. He had assumed it was because they were teammates in the future. Now he wasn't too sure.

Future Hinata and Future Sasuke was practically inseparable. He had rarely seen them not within five feet of each other. Now that he thought about it, it was getting rather eerie. A feeling of dread was forming, low in his belly.

 **"Father, are you alright? You look like you are going to be ill."** Hinata says as she walks over to him.

"Yes, I'm fine. It must have been something that I ate. It will pass." He lies with ease.

Perhaps he was simply overanalyzing things. Yes, that must be it. There was no way that his daughter would ever become lovers with the Uchiha. She was too smart to do something that reckless.

Feeling slightly more at ease, he assists more with the party planning. The lavender eyed man busied himself by hanging up balloons and streams. For awhile at least, he was able to banish that nagging feeling of anxiety to the back of his mind.

A few hours later, Sasuke's eyes open in the hospital. His vision was still blurry, but he knew that was the effects of the drugs that had been used to put him under. That would go away soon enough.

Like any good ninja, he immediately tried to take stock of his surroundings. He smiles, when he saw Hinata was in the room with him. The medic was fluffing his pillows.

"He should be waking up soon." She mumbles and glances back at Tsunade, while in mid fluff.

She was leaning over the bed in such a way, that Sasuke got a good look at a much more interesting set of _pillows._ Oh those were very nice. Why hadn't he noticed those before? Tsunade should be jealous. Unlike the busty blonde's, Sasuke was damn sure these pillows were natural.

He knew that it was wrong. Sasuke really shouldn't be sneaking a peek like that, but it wasn't like he had done it intentionally. They were just rather conveniently located.

"I'll check is vitals." Tsunade says as she strides over and Sasuke immediately shuts his eyes.

He definitely didn't want to be caught staring at Hinata like that. The Uchiha felt a bit guilty about having done it in the first place. He tries to rationalize that he hadn't done it on purpose. Besides, she had also gotten an unintentional peek at him once. It was only fair.

"His vitals are strong. He must have had a slight reaction to the anesthesia. He's got a nosebleed." The medic observes.

Oh THAT was fucking embarrassing! Sasuke mentally sulks at the fact that his body had reacted in that way. He was no matter than Jirayia or Kakashi. There went his pride.

"He's okay though, right? It's just a nosebleed?" Hinata asks.

"Looks that way. Well he should be waking up soon. I have some other patients to check on. I trust that he's in good hands now though." Tsunade says as she saunters off.

Sasuke wakes a few minutes. After awhile, he decides it was safe. He hadn't been caught.

"How long do I have to stay at the hospital?" He asks.

"Awhile. How are you feeling?" The bluenette replies.

"Disorientated. I blame that on all the drugs. I'll be fine though. How is everyone else doing?" Sasuke inquires.

Hinata pauses as she considers how best to answer that question. It depended on how you looked at it, she supposed. Mini Sasuke and Hinata were doing great. Their elder counterparts were being sneaky. Naruto seemed to think that having three sets of Hinatas and Sasukes was the funniest thing ever. Her father looked close to a panic attack. Oh and Sakura was far too curious for own good.

"As well as can be expected. I think everyone is slowly getting used to all of this. I don't want to focus on that though. I want you to focus on getting better." Hinata says with a sweet smile.

"I will. I've had worse than this. Isn't it your sister's birthday today?" Sasuke asks after a few minutes.

Hinata blinks. It was. She hadn't expected Sasuke to realize that though. The bluenette vaguely wonders how he knew that, but decides it didn't matter.

"Yes, I told Sakura that I was leaving work early to head to the party." She states.

"Yet, you're still here? Hinata, you don't have to miss Hanabi's birthday on my account. I'll be fine." Sasuke assures her.

"Well I didn't tell her how early I was planning on leaving. She just assumed I meant then and there. I still have another hour to go before my shift is over. I just had to come up with something. Sakura was asking too many questions." She mumbles.

The Uchiha raises an eyebrow. Hinata had lied to Sakura? Well maybe lie was stretching it a bit. Technically, she hadn't lied. The bluenette had just let the other woman form her own conclusions. (Still that was as close to a lie as he had ever seen her get.)

"Does she know about our other selves?" The raven haired ninja asks.

"She knows. Sakura says that Naruto told her. We really should have expected that though. If he didn't tell her, Tsunade likely would have." Hinata reasons.

"That's true. Well hopefully, she won't do anything stupid. We're lucky that Naruto hasn't accidentally altered anything yet. The more people that are involved, the more likely an accident will happen." Sasuke says with a sigh.

Hinata nods in agreement. That was true. The less that people knew about everything, the better.

"You're right. Adding more people into the equation produces too many variables." She says.

Sasuke was pleased that she got the logic of what he was saying. That was one of the nice things about Hinata. You could actually have a conversation with her and she would actually listen.

Most of the people in this village, had already made up their mind about everything and there was no reasoning with them. Their minds could be changed, but it wasn't easy. Hinata was different though. She listened.

Back at the Hyuga Estate, the party was now in full swing. Everyone had watched Hanabi open her presents and they were now celebrating. Sasuke and Hinata sigh in relief. Everyone was distracted by food, music, or the company. Maybe now, they would actually get some privacy.

 **"Sasuke?"** Hinata calls out to him softly as she slowly walks towards the hallway and gestures for her husband to follow.

Sasuke smirks. He knew exactly what she was thinking. Finally! They could be together and not have to worry about someone walking in on them.

 **"Coming!"** He tells her as he follows his wife down the hallway and to there room.

About an hour later, Naruto looks around in confusion. All the Hyugas were having a great time. He was also having a great time, but one thing was bothering him. He couldn't seem to find the oldest Sasuke and Hinata. That meant something was probably up.

He slowly wades through the crowd and the blonde decides to search the Estate. It was a big place, but sooner or later, he'd find them. Besides, he was a ninja. Good ninjas never gave up!

 **"SASUKE!"** He hears Hinata cry out.

Naruto blinks. What could have caused her to scream out Sasuke's name like that? Were they in trouble? He races off towards the sound of Hinata's voice.

The blonde ended up outside the doorway of one of the bedrooms. Thankfully, he had an emergency key. So he was able to open it just enough to see what was going on and got the surprise of his life.

 **Warning Naruto Gets an Eyeful**

He soon found out EXACTLY why Hinata was screaming Sasuke's name. She definitely wasn't in pain. It was the opposite really.

 **"Mine!"** Sasuke growls out possessively as he slams up into his lover, who was currently bouncing up and down the length of his cock.

The blonde didn't know what shocked him more. The fact that the two of them were having sex or that Hinata was actually on top. He stood frozen in place.

It wasn't like he was trying to be a voyeur. Naruto was just in shock at the sight that was currently playing out in front of him. Thankfully, the lovers were far too interested in each other to notice him at the moment.

Hinata'sa lovely blue tresses were splayed everywhere. Her breasts were bouncing every time she moved with her lover. One of Sasuke's hands was possessively cupping her ass and the other was caressing her breasts.

 **"Missed you so much!"** Hinata moans.

 **"I missed you too!"** Sasuke says as he pulls her down just enough so that the two were able to exchange the most heated kiss that Naruto had ever seen.

It was literally like they were trying to consume each other. Sasuke and Hinata were moving as one. This was clearly something that they had done before. Mostly likely, they had done it a lot of times before. They seemed to be _**intimately**_ familiar with each other. Really intimately.

"I better get out of here, before they see me." Naruto mutters to himself as he races down the hall.

 **End of Naruto's Eyeful**

His heart was racing. The blonde couldn't believe what he just saw. Sasuke and Hinata were together. Really, really together. He didn't think that it was actually possible for two people to be physically closer than that.

"Naruto, are you alright?" Hiashi asks once he notices the blue eyed ninja had reentered the party.

"Um yeah. I think we kinda need to talk. Do you got a minute? It's really important." The younger ninja says.

Naruto wasn't sure how he was going to break this news to Hiashi. He just knew that he had to. It was important that the other set of Sasukes and Hinatas not find out. That could really screw up the timeline.

"Of course. Follow me. We can discuss whatever it is, in my study." The regal ninja states as he strides down the hall.

The blonde followed him. Naruto knew that he didn't have a choice. He had to tell Hiashi. If he didn't, then he was going to explode.

The blue eyed ninja couldn't keep a secret to save his life. He had to tell someone and Naruto knew that he would need someone's help to keep this a secret from the other sets. Therefore, he was going to tell Hyuga Patriarch.

"So tell me, what seems to be troubling you?" The lavender eyed man inquires as he sits down.

"Um it's about Sasuke and Hinata. The oldest set. I noticed that they weren't at the party after awhile. So I went to check on them." Naruto begins cautiously.

"That was a good decision on your part. I fail to see why that has you so visibly shaken. Are they injured?" Hiashi asks in concern.

Naruto shakes his head. No. They definitely weren't hurt. He bites his lower lip as he debates about what would be the best way to break the news gently to Hiashi.

"No. I kinda saw them together. They were kissing. Sasuke and Hinata were kissing really passionately. I don't think that it's a coincidence that they came through the mirror together." He says in a rush.

Yeah. That wasn't a lie. Hiashi might be able to handle kissing. Naruto wasn't dumb enough to tell the other man about what else they had been doing. Hinata and Sasuke had been doing a whole lot more than kissing.

Hiashi smacks his forehead. There was only one logical conclusion. Someone up there, really despised him or he had done something horrific in a previous life. What had he done to deserve this?

His daughter was dating a former S Class Criminal? This was just not right. Where had he gone wrong?

"Sadly, that news does not surprise me as much as it should have. There were signs. Their always together, both of them always refer each other collectively, and the cake. That does put us in a difficult position though." He mutters.

"Yeah. We can't let the other Sasukes and Hinatas find out about this." The blonde says.

"You're right. I do not approve of this relationship. Sasuke is far too damaged to make for a very gentle romantic companion, but the future has to be allowed to play out in the way that it was meant to." The lavender eyed man says with a heavy sigh.

Naruto couldn't exactly disagree with that. Sasuke clearly wasn't the most genteel lover, but Hinata didn't seem to mind. If anything, she seemed to enjoy the more…aggressive pace of their lovemaking.

He mentally slapped himself. The blonde felt horribly guilty about walking in on them like that. It was obviously a very private moment and he would never intentionally spy on his friends in that type of situation. Unfortunately, he couldn't get the images out of his head.

"Yeah. I knew you'd understand. So what are we going to do about all of this?" The blue eyed ninja inquires.

"For now, nothing. We simply have to ensure that the other sets remain unaware of their older selves status as a couple." The Hyuga Patriarch reasons.

"Alright. I guess we should get back to the party. People are going to notice, if we are missing too long." Naruto says and the twosome quickly return to the party.

A few minutes later, Mini Sasuke raises an eyebrow Why was that loser staring at him and Hinata so much? He didn't like it. So he decides to confront the blonde about it.

 _"Do you have a problem, loser? Why are you staring at us?!"_ He demands.

"I don't have a problem and I'm not staring." The ninja protests.

Sasuke gives Naruto a dirty look. It was amazing really. Even the youngest Sasuke, could look at him in a way that made him feel really exposed.

"I don't have a problem and alright. Maybe, I'm staring. But that's because you have cake all over your face." The boisterous Leaf Villager informs him.

This causes the younger child to blink. He rushes over to Hinata for a second opinion and Naruto breathes a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he had bought that.

 _"Hinata, do I have cake on my face?"_ He asks.

 _"A little bit. It's not that much though."_ The bluenette says as she hands him a napkin.

Sasuke thanks her. He proceeds to quickly clean his face. It would have been hilarious, if Naruto wasn't terrified. What would happen if the other Sasukes and Hinatas found out that they were lovers in the future?

Naruto was still in shock. On one hand, he was grateful that Sasuke had found someone that he clearly loved. On the other hand, he couldn't believe it was Hinata. The two couldn't be more different.

 _"Did I get it?"_ The Mini Sasuke asks innocently.

 _"Yes, you got it."_ Hinata informs him with a shy smile.

They did say opposites attracted, but this was ridiculous. Still he supposed it didn't matter. The most important thing was not screwing up the timeline.

He also had one other problem. How was he ever going to look either of the older sets of Hinatas and Sasukes in the face again? Naruto wasn't sure he'd be able to do so without blushing or staring. They'd know something was up. Naruto really needed to work on his pokerface, if they were all going to get through this.

"I can't let them find out the truth." He whispers to himself.

Naruto knew that he could do it. He had to do it. The blonde wasn't going to mess up the future.

Sasuke was finally happy. Naruto just had to find a way to keep the fact that Hinata and Sasuke were lovers a secret long enough for them to get together. That was all. He could do this! Believe it!


	6. Chapter 6

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. This chapter is slanted heavily towards Sasuke's point of view to give you a better look at what is going on inside his head. I hope you all enjoy it.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 6

Sasuke smiles when Hinata brings in his food tray, a few days later. He didn't know why. It was her job to take care of her patient. Any medic would have done it. It just so happened that she was the one who had been assigned to him. That was all.

"Thanks." He says as he bites into his salad.

She had put extra tomatoes in it. Somehow the "Middle Uchiha" doubted that was a coincidence. Hinata was very observant. So it was likely at some point the bluenette had realized he liked them and added them in.

"You're welcome. How are you feeling?" She asks.

"About the transplant or in general?" Sasuke asks warningly.

"Both. Sasuke, if you are in pain, you should tell me. I'm your medic. I can't help you, if you don't tell me what's wrong. More importantly, I am your friend." She tells him.

Sasuke smiles. She really did sound so sincere about that. In a way, Hinata was like Naruto. There wasn't a deceptive bone in her body.

Well except for when it came to Sakura for some unknown reason. He really would have to investigate that later. That he hadn't seem coming. Sasuke doubted very much that it was merely a matter of Hinata being afraid the pinkette knowing too much would alter the timeline. There was something deeper there.

"In general, I'm fine. As for the limb transplant, you wouldn't like the answer." Sasuke warns her.

"Sasuke, I'm a medic. There is nothing that you are going to tell me, that is going to shock or disgust me." The Hyuga woman insists.

The Uchiha shakes his head. He didn't know why, but he wanted to shield her from his real response to the transplant. On some level, he just hated upsetting her. This was especially true about something like this. It wasn't like Hinata could fix it. It was his problem.

"Alright. It feels like cheating." Sasuke mutters.

"Cheating? I don't get it." The other ninja replies in confusion.

That summed up her relationship with Sasuke rather well. She didn't understand what went on in his head. Most of the time, Hinata didn't think he did either.

Hinata didn't blame him for being secretive. Really, it was a miracle that he was as "sane" and "open" as he was. Her medical training told her that he should be a walking, ticking time bomb.

"Getting the transplant makes me think that I cheated my way out of being punished. Hinata, you have only the faintest idea of what I've done, but you have to know that I deserved to lose that arm." The raven haired ninja says.

As far as she could tell, he had never received any psychological treatment after the Massacre. He hadn't really been properly treated after Itachi attacked him when he was Genin with the Tsukuyomi. God only knows what horrors he had witnessed at the Sound Village. Finally, he was dealing with seeing two other versions of himself walking around and now a limb transplant. All in all, it was truly a miracle the man hadn't completely snapped yet.

"Losing your arm wasn't a punishment for you. It was a mercy. You wanted to have some way of atoning for what you did. Something visible. Focusing on your physical injury is a lot easier than dealing with your psychological scars. It was a crutch." Hinata whispers and Sasuke's eyes widen.

She was right. Sasuke just never expected anyone to be able to read between the lines that well. Hinata probably thought he was a coward. He'd take physical pain over emotional any day though.

Sasuke had suffered enough of both to last ten lifetimes, maybe even a hundred. Still he'd rather have his arm blown off again than have to battle the demons that lurked within his mind. Unfortunately, he did so every night. There was no escape in his dreams. It was a battle that he always lost.

"You're right. It was easier. That and the coloration is off. It doesn't look like mine." Sasuke says.

He had to shift the conversation somehow. This was getting far too personal. He liked Hinata. Sasuke trusted her, but he wouldn't subject her to what he went through every single damn day.

Not her. Never her. She was too pure. Hinata might have fought in the war, but she had still maintained her innocence somehow. Sasuke wasn't going to contaminate the Hyuga Heiress by exposing her to what went on in his mind any further.

"Sasuke, don't do th-at." Hinata whispers as she sits on the bed and reaches out to caress his cheek.

The other ninja flinched at the touch. It was gentle and kind. He didn't deserve to be touched in that way. If Hinata had any idea the amount of blood he had on his hands, she'd be wise to run out of that room screaming.

"Don't do what?" He replies, trying to feign ignorance.

"Don't close yourself off from me with your morbid sense of humor. Friends don't hide from each other. We are friends, aren't we?" The bluenette asks.

What was he supposed to say to that? " _I like you. I think you're a good person. That's why I don't want you anywhere near me?"_ Hinata would never accept that answer.

She couldn't. They were both somehow connected and the two of them knew it. Neither of them really believed that it was a coincidence that their other selves had come through that mirror _**together.**_ No, there was a connection there and a strong one. Sasuke just didn't know what kind of connection.

"Yes, we're friends. Though it is much easier to be friends with the loser in a way. He would have fallen for that dodge. You're too smart to do that." Sasuke says with a sigh and he blinks when Hinata wraps her arms around him in a gentle embrace.

She was **hugging** him?! The very idea almost seemed like blasphemy. Hinata really shouldn't be touching him. Sasuke might like her and her body was suddenly a whole lot more fascinating, but he wasn't stupid. She deserved better.

The Hyuga woman deserved a better friend than him. She also damn sure deserved a better lover. Sasuke knew that her intentions here were purely to provide comfort, but he was self-aware enough to realize that she was the only woman that he had ever spared more than a second glance. This wouldn't end well.

"Did you really just complain that I was too smart to be your fri-end?" Hinata giggles.

"Yeah. I guess I did. Taka and Naruto are easier. Jugo's the smartest of them, but he doesn't push. You push." He muses.

It sounded ridiculous even to his own ears. Sasuke was aware it was likely that he wasn't making any sense. Still despite that, he was at least being honest with her. That had to count for something, didn't it?

"Sometimes we all need to be pushed. Sasuke, stop punishing yourself. You have to. Your older self doesn't seem as…tormented as you do. At some point, you must learn to forgive yourself. You mi-ght as well s-tart doing it now." The bluenette stammers.

She was stuttering again. Hinata was nervous. Good. She should be nervous around him. That was smart. Maybe her self-preservation instincts were kicking in on some level?

"You would have made a very good counselor, but you're nervous. You're stuttering again. You should probably go check on the other patients. I'll be alright. I'm not going to do something crazy like tear the transplant off." He assures her.

"I'm only nervous b-ecause I'm worried that you'll shut me out again. I'm not as worried about your arm as I am about your f-eelings." She mumbles.

Sasuke glances at her. He wanted to say something. The ninja wanted to warn her to stay away from him when it didn't involve their other selves. He hurt everyone that cared about him. Sasuke didn't want to hurt her.

That's when he noticed that she had a lily in her hair. A white lily. It suited her. Pure and innocent, just like her.

Hinata wouldn't stay that way, if she kept touching him though. She was touching someone with a lot of blood on his hands. It was going to stain her.

"Blood stained lilies." He murmurs.

"What?" Hinata asks in confusion.

"The lily in your hair. It's very pretty." Sasuke says lamely, not wanting to tell her what he had actually been thinking.

Hinata blinks. Well it was nice that he liked it. She really didn't understand the blood stained comment on it. That lily had no blood on it. She smiles as she remembers how she got it.

 _Hinata had been on her way to work, when she noticed something was different about Mini Hinata. She had a white lily in her hair. Her younger self seemed rather pleased about her new hairpiece._

 _"You look very pretty today. Where did you get that?" She asked with a smile._

 _"Sasuke gave it to me. He found them in the gardens." Her younger self replied happily._

 _Hinata blinked. Well one thing was for sure, Mini Sasuke and Middle Sasuke were completely different people. Idly, she wondered what he would have been like, without the massacre. Would he still be giving girls flowers?_

 _"Oh that was very nice of him." She said._

 _"I found one for you and the oldest Hinata too." Sasuke informed her happily and promptly placed it in her hair._

 _The Middle Hinata blinked. Sasuke was damn sneaky for a kid. She laughs and thanks him before heading off._

 _It was good to see him act like a normal kid. She mentally winced as she remembered what Sasuke would return to back in his own time._

 _That poor child. He really had no idea what was about to happen to him. His entire world was about to change and none of them could do anything to help him. Not now at least._

"Thanks. Mini Sasuke thought so as well. He's the one that gave it to me. You aren't a bad person, Sasuke. It's just a lot of bad things happened to you and you did bad thing, but you did them because you thought it was the right thing to do at the time. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself." She says.

"I'll think about it." He murmurs.

Honestly, he didn't think he was being hard enough on himself really. He had killed his own brother. Still he wasn't cruel enough to shatter Hinatra's illusions.

She really did seem to believe that everyone deserved a second chance and that every "good person" would end up getting a Happily Ever After? Who was he to burst her bubble? It was a nice bubble.

"Good. I have to go for now. I'll see you later." Hinata says as she slips off of the bed and walks off.

Sasuke sighs. He glances at the clock. If only he could get his older self to talk. That would make things so much easier. Maybe then he'd know what the right thing to do was.

Back at the Hyuga Estate, Naruto couldn't stop watching Hinata and Sasuke. He knew that he really should stop staring at the oldest set, but he couldn't help it. He still couldn't process that his two friends were together in the future. (Really, really together.)

 **"Naruto, are you alright?"** Hinata asks kindly as she strides over to him.

"Oh yeah! I'm fine. Thanks for asking though. I'm fine. Really." The blonde says.

He should have noticed it before though. Sasuke's eyes watched her every movement like a hawk. It was really like she was the center of his world.

They had come through the mirror together. That should have told them that something was going on. It didn't though because who could have seen this coming?

 **"Loser, do we need to take you to the hospital to get checked out? That or Hinata could do it. She is a medic."** Sasuke says.

Damn it. He really was being too obvious. They had both noticed something was up. Luckily, they didn't seem to know what yet.

"I think the heat from the Sun is getting to him. Naruto, perhaps you should head inside?" Hiashi suggests.

The blue eyed ninja had never been as grateful to anyone as he was to the Hyuga Patriarch at the moment. Hiashi had really just saved him from a very awkward situation.

"Yeah. That must be it. The heat is getting to me. That's all." The blonde says as he darts back inside the Estate and Hiashi follows him.

 **"He's overheated?"** Sasuke arches an eyebrow when Hinata returns to him.

 **"That's what they are saying anyway."** She replies.

Sasuke shakes his head. He didn't believe that for a second. He highly doubted that Hinata did either.

 **"You don't actually believe that one of the greatest ninjas of all time, can't handle a little Sun?"** The raven haired ninja inquires incredulously.

 **"No. I don't believe it, but I believe that my father just helped Naruto by providing him an excuse. Whatever is going on, their both aware of it."** She says.

 _"And then you move your leg like this and your arm like this! That's Gentle Fist!"_ Hinata tells Sasuke.

 _"Okay. I think I got it. I'll try it now."_ He says as he tries to copy his friend and perform the Hyuga Clan's trademark fighting style.

Yeah. That didn't go so well. Hinata had been trained in this Style since she could walk. Sasuke just didn't have the flexibility training that she possessed.

 _"Ahhh! That hurts! How do you stretch that far?!"_ He cries out.

 _"Sasuke! Are you okay?! I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have shown you that. I didn't mean to hurt you."_ The other child says as she tries to help him.

Sasuke shakes his head. His younger self couldn't possibly understand the level of flexibility that was required for Hyugas to use that technique. He could barely perform even a crude version himself.

Idly, he does not that someday his younger self would definitely appreciate his wife's… _flexibility._ Still that had to be painful. He walks over to offer assistance.

 **"I wouldn't recommend doing that again without more flexibility training first. There is a reason why that style hasn't caught on much outside the Hyuga Clan. They go through years of specialized training to perform it. Show me where it hurts."** He says softly.

Mini Sasuke points to his leg. Sasuke winces. Yeah. He had probably pulled something.

 **"Don't tell anyone else about this. It will be our little secret."** Sasuke whispers into his ear as he places his hands over the back of his younger self's leg and his hands start to glow green.

His eyes widen. How was his older self doing that? He'd never seen something like that before.

 _"What's that jutsu?"_ He asks.

 **"It's a healing jutsu. Like I said, this will be our little secret. Hinata taught me."** He states simply as he gets up and heads back to his wife.

The Mini Hinata frets over her friend. She didn't hear what the big Sasuke said, but she knew that he said something. At least Sasuke didn't look like he was in pain anymore.

 _"Are you okay? Does it still hurt?"_ She asks.

 _"I think so. It doesn't hurt anymore. Don't cry. It's not your fault."_ Sasuke says as he brushes a tear off her cheek.

Hinata sighs in relief. He was going to be okay. She had been so scared when he cried out like that. She hugs her friend tightly and Mini Sasuke blushes.

Back in the Hyuga Estate, Hiashi sighs. He was going to have to have a talk with Naruto. The man's every emotion just was too visible on his face. This was ridiculous.

"Naruto, you need to be more subtle. Believe me, I am just as shocked as you about their future relationship. Still discretion is the better part of valor here. You need to treat them as you normally do. Otherwise, they will realize that something is amiss." The Hyuga Patriarch warns him.

"I know. It's just wow. I never thought that they would get together, you know?" The blonde says.

Hiashi nods his head sympathetically. Oh yes, he could certainly understand that reaction. That didn't change the facts though. It was important that they not alter the future in any way.

"I understand completely. Still we have to take precautions. I will perform a minor Genjutsu on you. It will create the illusion of giving you a calm facial expression. If you can not hide your emotions, I will hide them for you." The other man reasons.

Naruto blinks. That was brilliant. He wondered if that would really work though. It seemed a little too easy.

"Sounds like a good idea. Are you sure that they won't see through it though?" The blue eyed ninja asks.

"I doubt they will. It's not very likely they would suspect you of using a Genjutsu. It's not exactly your style." Hinata's father says as he casts the jutsu.

That was true. Genjutsu was really his weakest point. Sasuke had once told him that it was because Naruto was just really bad at subtlety. (To which Naruto had shot back that Sasuke didn't really use much Genjutsu either and the two of them had ended up "sparring" the rest of the night.)

"Thanks. This should help." Naruto says as he breathes a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile Team Eight was having an emergency meeting. They were all at their team's training grounds, except for Hinata. The reason was very obvious. She was the subject of the meeting.

"Wait. So you're telling me that there are THREE Hinatas and Sasuke's running around?" Kiba asks in disbelief.

"That's what my insects are telling me anyway. It does explain why Sasuke was suddenly spending so much time at the Hyuga Estate." Shino muses.

Kurenai tries to process that. She had suspected for awhile that something strange was going on. The Genjutsu Mistress just hadn't expected that it would be THIS.

"What else have your insects been able to tell you?" She whispers softly.

"Apparently there is a mirror that has a special jutsu on it. It summons forth your past and future selves to help you confront your issues. I don't really know what Hianta is dealing with that would necessitate this on her part, but Sasuke has many issues. For him, the possibilities are endless." The insect summon states.

Kiba blinks. So there were now three Sasuke's running around. That was scary. He didn't mind three Hinata's. It didn't matter how old she was. Hinata was Hinata, but three Sasukes was troubling to say the least.

"So what are we going to do about this?" The canine lover asks.

"I don't think that we should interfere directly. It might change the future. Time can be a tricky thing." Kurenai observes.

Shino nods. As much as he wanted answers, he knew that their Sensei was correct in this case. Meddling might be counterproductive. That and he doubted the Uchihas would take it very well.

"We can't just do nothing. Hinata is living with that psychotic freak!" Kiba says.

"I don't think that's really fair to call him psychotic. He deserted the Leaf and did many horrible things, but I think it's fairly safe to say that he is sane." Kurenai muses.

"You're kidding me, right? Kurenai Sensei, that man was probably only a breath away from destroying the village on several occasions. If it wasn't for Naruto, we'd probably all be dead." Kiba protests.

Shino wouldn't have been able to argue with that logic in the past. Now things were different though. It didn't look like Naruto was the only person who had an impact on Sasuke.

"That's not true anymore. Hinata also seems to hold a considerable amount of sway over him." Shino says.

Oh Kiba definitely didn't want to hear that. He starts getting up in his teammate's face. The other ninja wanted answers and he wanted them now!

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?! If you know something that we don't, you should tell us! She's our teammate too!" He demands.

"Based on my insects observations, it seems that all three sets are rather close. This is especially true when it comes to the youngest versions." The quiet ninja replies.

It was amazing really. Shino didn't flinch at all when Kiba had started thundering at him. He was used to his more boisterous teammate's loudness. Really, it no longer phrased him.

"When you say young, how young are we talking?" Kiba asks warily.

"Certainly younger than ten, but likely older than five. I'd guess probably around 6 or 8." The other man observes.

Kiba tries to picture a mini Sasuke running around. He couldn't do it. As far as he could tell, that man had always been messed up. At best, he had been a stuck up kid.

Of course, Kiba didn't really remember Sasuke much before the Massacre. So that was really all that he had to go on at the moment. They had all been so young when it happened. It was only natural that he couldn't really remember a pre-massacre Sasuke.

"Kurenai Sensei, what do you think we should do?" Shino asks.

"I think for now, we should just observe. If it looks like things are getting out of hand, we will need to intervene. It is concerning that Sasuke and Hinata's counterparts came through that mirror. That means both of them have an unresolved issue to address. An issue that may be connected." She reasons and her team nods in agreement.

Meanwhile back at the hospital, Kakashi decides to visit his former student. Hmm. Sasuke was looking particularly broody today. This was certainly saying something as no one brooded more than Sasuke.

"How are you feeling?" Kakashi asks.

"Fine." Sasuke lies with ease to his former Sensei.

The silver haired ninja shakes his head in amusement. Did the Uchiha honestly think that he believed him? That was really an insult to his intelligence, if Sasuke though that the CopyCat Ninja was going to let him off that easy.

"I was worried about you. I know that I may have violated some Patient Confidentiality laws, but really I think that's the least of my sins. Tsunade noted that you had a nosebleed after your operation." Kakashi observes.

"An overreaction to the anesthesia. It was nothing." Sasuke says quickly.

A little too quickly. The silver haired ninja didn't buy it for a minute. No. He had a pretty good idea why Sasuke got that nosebleed and of course, he couldn't resist giving his former student a helpful nudge in the right direction.

"Perhaps it was an overreaction, but we both know that it wasn't because of the anesthesia. In a way, I'm relieved. Some victims of trauma completely lose any interest in pursuing romantic relationships. At least your body, is…responsive. I'm mildly surprised that you of all people have a sexy nurse fetish though." He says.

"Kakashi, I suggest you shut up. I might not be able to use this new arm much yet, but I don't need to. You know damn well that I can kill you with only one." Sasuke warns him.

Kakashi chuckles. Ah that was Sasuke, alright. Sasuke wasn't Sasuke unless he issued at least one death threat a day.

"I do believe that I touched a nerve there. That's quite the reaction to an innocent observation." The Jonin points out.

"An innocent observation, my ass! There's nothing innocent about you. For Godsakes, you were reading soft erotica in front of twelve year olds. You don't get to play the innocent card. Stay out of it." Sasuke growls.

"One has to wonder which medic caught your eye though. It couldn't have been Sakura. You would have reacted to her by now. I doubt it's Tsunade. She's a bit too experienced for you. Not to mention she's well beyond her childbearing years and I know that you do want a family. Hmm. Shizune is a possibility, but that seems unlikely." He muses.

Kakashi had a death wish. That was the only logical explanation. That was why the other man hadn't shut up yet, Sasuke decided.

"It's NONE of your business!" The Uchiha snarls at him.

"Which makes me think that it would most likely have to be another peer. It's Hinata by the process of elimination. She's the logical choice because your exposure to her was limited until recently. If you were attracted to someone like Sakura, you would have had that reaction long before now." He finishes.

"Kakashi, I swear to God that I will kill you." Sasuke hisses at him.

The silver haired man chuckles. In this case, he knew that his former student was more bark than bite. If Sasuke really wanted him dead, he'd be dead. He was realistic enough to realize that.

"We both know that's an idle threat. Though the fact that you made yet another death threat towards me, means I'm right. I can't blame you. She is quite lovely. I never would have thought she'd be your type though. On second thought, they do say opposites attract. The two of you couldn't be anymore different. Have you told her?" Kakashi asks.

Sasuke was wondering if he could get away with killing Kakashi and making it look like an accident. This pervert needed to shut up about things that he didn't understand, if he wanted to live long enough to see his next birthday.

"No. I'm attracted to her, but I'm not sadistic enough to act on it. She deserves better and if you say anything to her, I will rip out your vocal cords and feed them to your dogs." Sasuke warns him.

"That was quite creative" Kakashi compliments.

"Thank you. It's NOTHING. I just was admiring the scenery. It's not my fault that I woke up as she was fluffing my pillows and her breasts happened to be right above my face. Of course, I was going to react and GOD DAMN IT!" Sasuke begins to say and then he snarls in frustration when he realizes what he had just revealed.

Kakashi couldn't help but laugh. Sasuke just looked so furious with himself. Clearly, he hadn't intended to reveal that little detail.

"A breast ninja, eh? I must admit that I am fond of them as well. Though this does explain why you never showed much of an interest in Sakura." He muses.

"This conversation has taken a really disturbing turn." Sasuke mutters.

"Alright. I guess I've embarrassed you enough for one day. Do think about telling her though. I know you. You've never even expressed a physical attraction in anyone before, so I know this is about more than just the lovely wrapping paper. Everyone deserves love, Sasuke." The CopyCat Ninja says as he flits off.

Sasuke growls and hurls at vase at Kakashi's retreating form. That pervert needed to but out. It was really none of his business.

Sasuke sighs as he glances at the clock again. He was so screwed. He was attracted to Hinata and his Sensei knew about it. He could only hope that Kakashi wouldn't say something stupid to her. He probably would though. Kakashi was Kakashi.


	7. Chapter 7

Timeless

 **Author's Note** : Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I think it's time that we check in on the other Uchihas ;)

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

 **Chapter Notation:** The first part of this chapter will be about Hinata's and Sasuke's kids in the future (or present depending on how you are looking at it). If you have no interest in the kids, you might want to skip that scene. Warnings were put up before and afterwards.

Chapter 7

 **Warning Future Scene**

In the future, Naruto watches the children like a hawk. He knew where Hinata and Sasuke had disappeared to and that they would be back relatively soon. One of Sasuke's counterparts had slipped up and told him before they left. While weeks or months might have passed in that timeline, only two hours would pass in the future.

"Yay, big sister! You did it!" Rajah calls out joyously when an arrow hits its target.

Two hours might not sound like a lot, but it was when you were dealing with four children. This was especially true when they had Uchiha and Hyuga blood running through their veins. Oh and the fact that they ranged in age from three to eight, probably had something to do with it.

In this case, the "big sister" in question was Kana. Her name meant powerful and she lived up to it. She definitely took after Sasuke when it came to her abilities. She could already produce a Chidori and she was only eight. Not to mention, she really seemed to like _playing archer._

"Thanks, Rajah." Kana says with a smile as she pulls back another arrow.

Kana had Sasuke's raven black hair, but it had Hinata's texture and length. Her eyes were the trademark Hyuga lavender, but they were shaped like almonds. That was clearly another trait that she had inherited from the Uchiha Patriarch. That and her ivory cream colored skin. Otherwise, she was a dead ringer for her mother. She had the same ears, nose, and even smile as Hinata.

"I can't wait to get to the International Academy! What else do they let you use besides, bows and arrows? I know they have more stuff than the Leaf's Academy." Kaemon asks excitedly.

"Oh they let you use weapons from all over the Five Nations. They watch you really carefully though. I want to try one of those fans sometime, but they won't let you until you are 10." Kana says with a slight pout.

Not long after Kana was born, an International Ninja Academy was built. Unlike the other Ninja Academies where all that was required to enter was citizenship and your parents' (or guardians') consent, this one had strict admission criteria and the competition to get in was fierce. You had to attend one "regular" Academy for at least a year, before you could even think about applying for instance.

Kaemon was only six. He had only recently begun attending the Leaf's Academy. He'd probably start at the International one next year. (Which was ironically located in the Forest of Death.)

"What can you do with a fan?" Kaemon asks in confusion.

He was Sasuke and Hinata's second child, but their first son. His name meant joyful. It shocked the Hell out of Naruto to discover this, but Sasuke's firstborn son really was a happy child. Seriously, the kid hadn't even cried when he was born like most babies. He just smiled. So the name stuck.

"You can use wind attacks or use the fan to send your weapons or chakra attacks flying at your opponent. It can also block attacks. Very useful. The Kazekage's sister uses a really big one." Kana explains.

"Oh that sounds cool!" Kaemon replies brightly.

He had Hinata's midnight blue hair, but Sasuke's onyx eyes. He'd definitely inherited Hinata's skin tone and her nose. The rest of him physically was all Sasuke though. Well except for one thing. He had the same markings on his cheeks that his late uncle did. He might have looked more like Sasuke, but in terms of personality, Kaemon was a less shy Hinata.

Miyoko was on a swinging from a tree branch in 180 degree spins. Naruto was worried that she would end up falling. So he had a couple clones standing double duty by the energetic child. The really, really energetic child.

"You know that's dangerous, right?" One of the clones asks.

"Not dangerous. Fun. Besides, it's good flexibility training." She says as she continues swinging.

Rajah might be the most aggressive of the four, but Miyoko was the most mischievous. She'd be turning five in a few months, but she could already successfully pull off transformation jutsus. So she was ridiculously good at Hide and Go Seek. (Which naturally was her favorite game.)

"What is he feeding these children?" Gaara asks in amusement as he strides over to his friend with his wife Tenten and their twins.

Yeah. Naruto hadn't seen that one coming either. Apparently, after the war the Kazekage had heard about Neji's death and went to offer his teammates condolences. The brunette and Kage had unexpectedly hit it off. Not long after that, the twins had been born.

"I have no idea. It's great to see you guys, though!" Naruto says with a smile as Rajah darts over to the Sand Twins excitedly.

Rajah had his father's raven black hair and Hinata's skin tone. His eyes were lavender like Hyuga Clan, but also almond shaped like Kana's. The three year old also had his father's ears and smile. He had also definitely gotten Hinata's nose and chin.

The siblings had once made a sand castle for the toddler that had enthralled him. Every since then, Rajah was always eager to show off for the Kazekage's children.

Hatsu was Gaara's daughter. She had been born five minutes before her brother and thus her name meant firstborn. Her exotic red hair reached all the way to her knees and she had her mother's chocolate brown eyes. Even at nine, it was clear she was going to be knockout when she got older. (Naruto did pity the boys in a few years though, she had inherited her mother's talents with weapons.)

"It's good to see you as well. Hatsu and Natsu are about to start their second year at the Academy. So we were just dropping them off. Naturally, the twins wanted to see their friends." The Kazekage says with a smile.

In a way, he supposed that Rajah was Natsu's Rajah. Natsu was Gaara's son. His name meant born in the summer because well he was born in the summer. (Yeah, Gaara was really creative with the baby names.)

Natsu was hitting his growth spurt early. He was easily four inches taller than poor Kana. This was a fact that Natsu did enjoy lording over her, much to the younger girl's annoyance.

"Look! See I can make a really big fireball now!" Rajah says proudly and proves it.

"Yes, that's certainly a big fireball." Natsu agrees.

He had Gaara's red hair and Tenten's eyes as well. His sister hadn't inherited the feral black eye markings from their father, but Natsu had. So his chocolate brown eyes looked more exotic than they otherwise would have. He definitely had Tenten's smile and ears though.

Hatsu and Kana were best friends. Kana and Natsu were rivals. Whenever they saw each other, it never failed. One of them had to try to outdo the other.

"Archery practice?" Natsu asks.

"Mhm. I'm way better with a bow and arrow than you are." Kana says with a smirk that reminded Naruto way too much of her father.

Oh for Godsakes. They were apparently going to get into it, before even a hello was exchanged. Hatsu was watching with interest though.

"Remember guys, it's tied 50-50. I bet a week's allowance on you Kana. Don't let me down." She informs her best friend in a monotone voice.

Like Guy and Kakashi, they kept track of their contests. Once they hit 101, they'd start over again. Naruto didn't know whether to find this cute or disturbing.

"You can do it, Natsu! I bet on you." Kaemon assures him.

"You bet on him?! You're MY brother!" Kana says in a scandalized voice.

"Well yeah. I mean you are awesome and everything, but he's going to be the next Kazekage. Plus Sand Villagers are really good with bows and arrows." The eldest Uchiha boy reasons.

Miyoko giggles as she swings more and watches. This was going to be funny. Her big sister and Natsu were so silly sometimes!

Miyoko had Hinata's blue hair and the trademark Hyuga eyes. Unlike her siblings, her eyes were wider like the Hyuga side of her family tree. The rest of her features, were all Sasuke. One only had to look at her to know who her father was.

"Alright. This one is simple. The person who gets their arrow closest to the center of the target wins." Kana explains.

"Agreeable. You can go first." The red head says.

Kana smiles and pulls back her quiver. She fires it off and it hits dead in the center. She smiles smugly at him.

"That's good. This will be better though." He says and forms a bow and arrow out of his sand and sends it striking her arrow in half.

"That was cheating! Your sand reacts to your will! That didn't take any skill!" She protests in outrage.

Kaemon tilts his head. Well she had a point. It was a little hard to miss, when your weapon was literally an extension of yourself.

"Yeah. She kinda has a point there. I'm not sure we should count that one." He says.

"I utilized one of my skills. No one cares about fair when you are in combat." Natsu says.

"That's true." Kana says as she pounces Natsu and begins tickling him without mercy.

"Wow. Your son is really ticklish Gaara. Should we step in?" Naruto asks and the Kazekage just smacks his forehead in exasperation.

 **End of Future Scene**

"You know, you were really a very cute kid." Hinata muses as she unwraps Sasuke's bandage and begins placing a fresh set on him.

"Really? Thanks, I guess. You remind me of a frightened rabbit at that age." Sasuke says bluntly.

Hinata huffs at that. Obviously, she wasn't too thrilled at that assessment. Though she supposed it was a good sign that Sasuke was feeling well enough to make "jokes."

"I was not a frightened rabbit!" She mumbles.

"Yes, you were. Cute and skittish. It's alright. You definitely aren't skittish anymore." The Middle Sasuke observes.

Hinata feels her face heat up. Sasuke had called her cute. Well more accurately, he had called her younger self cute. That still counted right?

"You think I'm cute?" She asks.

"Well you were cute then. You're beautiful now." Sasuke says and mentally slaps himself for that slip of the tongue.

It was one thing to call her a cute kid. Calling her beautiful was completely different. Damn it. He hadn't meant to say that. Mercifully, Tsunade decides to check on them at that exact moment.

"Ah there you are, Hinata. I would you mind checking on patient number 328?" Tsunade asks.

"Of course, Lady Tsunade." The bluenette says as she glances at Sasuke before darting off.

Sasuke wasn't entirely sure that he believed Tsunade. He had never had the best luck. The chances that she just happened to save his ass, seemed low.

"You wanted to get Hinata away from me. Why?" He demands.

"Kakashi wanted to visit you. I decided to indulge him. I suppose he wanted a private moment with his former student. I didn't pry." She says and heads off as the silver haired ninja comes in.

Yes, someone up there really hated Sasuke. Kakashi was really going to try this, it looked like. This was going to be highly annoying.

Back at the Hyuga Estate, Mini Sasuke shakes his head. Hinata still felt guilty about his minor injury. He was glad that she cared, but he was fine.

 _"Hinata, I'm okay. Really."_ He says with a smile.

 _"Are you sure? That looked really painful. I'm so sorry."_ She mumbles.

Sasuke shakes his head as he watches his younger self. Eventually, he'd learn his lesson. Once Hinata began her fussing, she wasn't going to stop until she decided you were better.

 **"What was that look for?"** Hinata demands.

 **"It's just funny to see him try to get you to stop your fussing. That never works."** Sasuke says with a smirk and he kisses her cheek.

Hinata was about to issue a retort, when she sees her father was nearby. This whole sneaking around thing was going to drive her crazy. She really hoped that the Middle Sasuke would make his move soon.

"Good morning. I trust that you slept well?" Hiashi asks.

 **"Could have slept better. I have to admit that I miss my own bed."** Sasuke replies.

Yes, he missed his bed. He most certainly missed having his wife laying next to him. Sasuke also missed waking up and seeing their children. There were a lot of things that he missed, but he consoled himself with the fact that this was all only temporary. They'd be home soon enough.

 **"I'm not sleeping that well either. It's nerve-wracking, wondering if the future has been altered."** Hinata admits.

As much as she wanted to whack her husband for his smug comment, she loved him and their children more than anything. The bluenette couldn't imagine her life without them. That's what made this whole situation so tarrying. One wrong move could change everything.

"Perhaps some green tea before bed, might help you relax. I doubt tea would help Sasuke much though. For you I would suggest some nighttime reading. Why don't you come me and I can show you the library?" Hiashi suggests.

 **"Alright. I guess it couldn't hurt."** Sasuke says as he follows Hiashi.

Somehow he really doubted that the Hyuga Patriarch only wanted to help him find a book to read. Still he wasn't going to protest. The man was his future father-in-law. He could indulge him.

Hiashi sighs once they were alone. He couldn't help but glance at this version of Sasuke. He was so different from his present self and yet the same. It was unsettling to say the least.

 **"What's really bothering you? I don't believe for a moment that you just wanted to give me a tour of the library. Neither does Hinata. She's too kind to say that though."** Sasuke states bluntly.

If nothing else, the Hyuga Patriarch did appreciate Sasuke's frankness. The man was certainly not afraid to express himself. It was a rare person who would dare to speak to him in that fashion.

"You're right. I suspected that she knew it was just a flimsy excuse to speak with you alone. Hinata has always been rather considerate of others, especially when they want their privacy. It's one of her many virtues." He replies.

"I'm aware. She unfailingly kind at times. Are you going to tell me what is bothering you or should I start browsing your family's impressive literary selection?" Sasuke asks dryly.

Hiashi sighs. He didn't know how to say this. Obviously, the ninja couldn't tell Sasuke that he knew that the other man was courting Hinata in the future. That would likely forever alter the timeline.

"I couldn't help but notice that you seem rather different than your present day self." He begins cautiously.

 **"It's your present, but my past. I can't disagree with that assessment though. If you're worried that I'll attack the Leaf, you can put your mind at ease in that regard."** Sasuke says.

That hadn't been his concern, but it was good to hear nonetheless. For some reason, Hiashi actually believed Sasuke when he said that. However, that wasn't his main concern.

"What I mean is that you seem more…at peace with yourself." The Hyuga Patriarch tries again.

 **"That's because I am. I feel sorry for my youngest self. I know what he's about to go through and I can't help him. Well at least not without risking losing everything. My "present" self though is a different matter. He's made it through the worst that is going to be thrown at him."** Sasuke informs Hiashi.

He figured as long as he was vague, it was alright. Hiashi was a perceptive man. It was likely that the Hyuga had already deduced most of this. There was no reason to hide it.

"That's good to hear. I will admit that I had many reservations for allowing you to stay here. You have a rather colorful history to put it mildly." The lavender eyed ninja confesses.

 **"I can't blame you for that. I've done a lot of horrible things in the past. If I was you, I wouldn't have allowed any of us to stay here. You have no real reason to believe me, but things are different now."** Sasuke says.

Hiashi sighs again. He sounded so sincere. Then again, this was Sasuke Uchiha. He was certainly intelligent enough to put on a good act, if he desired to do so. Hiashi honestly couldn't tell.

He did want to believe the other man on some level. If Hinata was already being courted by him, Hiashi was forced to hope that Sasuke was being genuine. Otherwise, she was going to get hurt and get hurt badly.

"I really want to believe you." Hiashi says.

 **"But you don't. It's alright. I've given you no reason to trust me. All I can say is give it time."** He states as he heads out of the library.

Meanwhile Hinata was checking on a patient. It was a good thing that it was pretty standard injury. They had a broken arm. She could have treated this in her sleep.

Not that having a broken arm was fun, but this person was a ninja. For people in their line of work, that was considered minor. Mercifully, it was easily treatable as well because she was having a very hard time focusing.

"Thank you, Hinata. What a drag, some kid got stuck in a tree. I went to get them out of there. They started to fall, so I threw myself underneath and took the blow. It shattered my arm." Shikamaru mutters.

"That was kind of you to help him. Don't worry, Shikamaru. We'll get you back to normal in no time." Hinata replies with a warm smile.

Sasuke had called her cute and beautiful. He had actually opened up to her. The bluenette didn't think that he would ever do that with someone who wasn't Naruto.

As she finishes up with Shikamaru, she pauses as she remembers what Sasuke had told her. Well future Sasuke anyway. This was all getting rather confusing!

 _"I'd say that I'm closer to you than I am to Naruto."_ He had told her.

Maybe this was when their friendship really started to take root. She doubted very much that he had told anyone else about how he felt about his arm. That had to mean something, right?

Idly, she wonders if Sasuke would have gotten the transplant without his future self showing up. He had seemed very against it. Now she knew his reasoning. Would he have eventually changed his mind anyway though?

"Hinata, are you alright?" Shikamaru asks in concern.

The medic was clearly spacing out. Shikamaru wasn't sure what was wrong with Hinata today. Her head obviously wasn't in the game though and that just wasn't like her.

"What? Oh yes, sorry. My mind wandered away from me there for a minute." She mumbles with a blush.

"It's alright. We all have those days. I'll see you around." The lazy genius says as he departs.

Hinata mentally slaps herself. She couldn't believe that she had spaced out while on duty. Thank goodness that she was now a medic and not a combat ninja. Mistakes like that had a habit of costing people their lives!

She couldn't help it though. She felt like something really important had happened between her and Sasuke. He had opened up to her. Perhaps even more so than he ever had with his teammates. She couldn't help but feel a little giddy about that and that fact disturbed her.

Elsewhere in the hospital, Sasuke gives Kakash his best Death Glare. This one had even terrified Orochimaru at the end. So he knew that it was a damn good glare.

"Sasuke, don't give me that look. Can't a man check on his former students without it being a crime?" The silver haired ninja asks in amusement at Sasuke's reaction.

Unfortunately, it didn't appear to have much an impact on the CopyCat Ninja. It was likely Kakashi had been expecting that. Maybe he should fire off a few Chidoris?

"Some of them can. Not you though. I know what you are up to and stop. It isn't going to happen and we both know why. I shouldn't have admitted that to you about the pillows, but I don't need romantic advice from a lifelong bachelor!" Sasuke warns him.

"That's a fair point. Though I am a bachelor by choice. I didn't want to get married and have children. I'm a combat ninja. That entails a certain degree of risk. I didn't view it as very fair to put a family through that. Though I'll have you know that I have many offers of female companionship." Kakashi says.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Yeah. He didn't need to hear that. The last thing that he needed to think about was Kakashi having one night stands and flings. He knew that it was a common lifestyle for ninjas and for very practical reasons.

He didn't hold it against Kakashi, but that just wasn't how he was wired. Uchihas were very monogamous by nature. They tended to pair of rather early and fidelity was rarely an issue. His father had been something of an exception. Fugaku had fathered his first child at 27.

"I really didn't need to hear that. If I want love advice, I'd ask Kurenai. She actually had a healthy, normal relationship with Asuma. It's not her fault that he died in combat." Sasuke reasons.

"Oh that's a good point. That and she does know Hinata very well considering she's her former Sensei. I'm proud of you. That's very good thinking." Kakashi sayas.,

"THAT WAS NOT THE POINT!" Sasuke snarls at him.

Damn it. Kakashi could be really annoying sometimes. He liked to meddle. The raven haired ninja was almost certain that Kakashi did so because he was an Uchiha.

Kakashi had worked with Itachi while they were both ANBU. In addition to that, Obito had been on his Genin team. So Sasuke was certain that on some unconscious level, that was why the silver haired ninja couldn't mind his own business when it came to his love life.

"You are very defensive today. Sasuke, you really are going to have to learn to control your temper, if you want to find a lover. You wouldn't want to scare the poor girl off." The Jonin reason.

Sasuke twitches. He was really debating about Chidoring his former Sensei. It would serve him right, to get hit by the very attack that Kakashi had taught him.

"That's really none of your business. Besides, I never yell at Hinata. She's not annoying like you." Sasuke mutters.

"Oh well that's good. She's a very sensitive woman. If you yelled at her like you do me, Hinata would probably take it very personally. Now, I really do recommend the old fashioned romantic approach. Flowers and things like that would probably be best. You don't want to be too aggressive. She is rather shy." Kakashi counsels.

Unbelievable. Kakashi was giving him romantic advice. Could this day get any weirder?

"I know that she's shy. That's why I wouldn't yell at her. Flowers? Really? That's your big secret? Anyone could have thought of that." Sasuke says and rolls his eyes.

"Well I think that there is something to be said for the classics. Jewelry is also another common choice. You couldn't go wrong with a stuffed animal. Though that might damage your pride." The Copycat Ninja muses.

Oh yeah. There was a fireball or a Chidori with the Jonin's name on it. Kakashi was really asking for it.

"I'm not giving her a stuffed animal. Just drop it, Kakashi. We both know that she deserves better. She's a good person. She really shouldn't be anywhere near me and we both know it. So knock it off. Go harass Naruto or Sakura." Sasuke snaps at him.

Kakashi shakes his head as if he was dealing with a stubborn child. Sasuke was going to be difficult. He didn't want to do this, but apparently he was going to have to fight dirty.

"I see. So you have absolutely no intention of courting her?" Kakashi asks.

"That's right. I have no intention of courting her. I like her and I'm physically attracted to her, but that doesn't mean I'm cruel enough to court her. I don't know how to give her what she needs." Sasuke says as if that settled the matter.

The silver haired ninja did feel a little guilty about what he was about to do. He acknowledged that it was definitely hitting below the belt. That wasn't going to stop him though. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"So if I told you that I saw Kiba admiring Hinata's _pillows_ earlier, that wouldn't upset you? After all, someone is going to court her and you have no intention of telling her about your feelings." The Jonin reasons.

"HE WHAT?!" Sasuke snarls at Kakashi and his obsidian black eyes bleed ruby red instantly with rage.

Uh oh. Perhaps he had gone too far. He had wanted to prove his point. He didn't want an innocent man to be ripped limb from limb by a jealous Uchiha.

"I was merely teasing you. Kiba didn't actually do that. Still for someone who claims you have no intention of courting her, you do get jealous rather easily." Kakashi observes smugly.


	8. Chapter 8

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 8

A few days had passed since Kakashi gave his _helpful advice_ and Hinata was checking on Sasuke. Currently, she taking his vitals and listening to him talk about his travels while he was away. As they progressed further into his recovery, Sasuke was gradually becoming more talkative.

"I think that I liked the Land of Tea the best. It's beautiful and peaceful. That and they have great hot springs. Everything is ridiculously overpriced though. It'd probably cost a Genin a week's pay to stay there one day." Sasuke says.

"You're right. It is beautiful. It's a place that thrives on tourism. So naturally, everything is going to be expensive." Hinata agrees.

It was nice that he was opening up to her about mundane things more. Hinata wasn't an idiot. Sasuke was obliviously combing through his memories to find "appropriate" ones to talk about.

He was trying to share things with her, but only to a certain extent. The Hyuga Heiress wasn't fooled. Sasuke was deliberately avoiding some of the more unpleasant memories of his travels. He didn't want to upset her.

"That's true. The Land of Iron wasn't bad. It was a bit cold though." Sasuke muses.

"You traveled all of the place." Hinata muses and Sasuke nods.

He had traveled all over the five nations and even to the Land of Iron. All of it had been to find and kill Itachi. Sadly, that didn't go as plan. Instead of feeling vindicated after his brother's death, he just felt an overwhelming sense of loss and sadness. It had all been for nothing.

All of their Clan's suffering could have been avoided, if only one of the Hokage's had been able to find a way to fix things. If only, an Uchiha had been able to find a way to reintegrate them into the village. Then things would have been different.

"Yeah. I've been a lot of places, but the Leaf is where I belong." He says with more than a trace of bitterness.

"You don't sound very happy about that." Hinata observes cautiously.

"It's complicated. I'm happier about it now than I have been in a long time. Mostly because of Naruto and your family. That doesn't change the fact that this village's soil is drenched in Uchiha blood. How many Itachis were sacrificed without anyone ever knowing?" Sasuke asks her.

Hinata blinks. Why did Sasuke refer to his brother as being sacrificed. He Massacred most of the Uchiha Clan. Shouldn't Sasuke hate him? Itachi had conducted the genocide of his own free will, hadn't he?

"What do you mean when you say that Itachi was sacrificed?" The Hyuga Heiress inquires.

Sasuke's eyes widen. Damn it. He hadn't meant to say that. He really need to learn to keep his mouth shut around her. It was like Hinata was some sort of living truth serum or something. The words would often just tumble out of his mouth before the raven haired ninja could realize what he was saying. That wasn't good.

"You don't want to know. I like your family, but they need to get rid of the Branch and Main House System. No offense. I can see the practical applications of it, but that's cruelty. It's cruelty even by my standards." Sasuke says as he tries to change the subject.

"I'm glad that you like them. I think they are getting used to you and I agree about the Branch House. You really shouldn't try to change the subject like that though. I want to know. What really happened with Itachi? I mean, if you w-ant to tell me. That is. I un-derstand if it's too painful." She mumbles.

Sasuke sighs. She was a skittish rabbit again. It disturbed him on some level that his impulse was to embrace and comfort her.

"It is painful, but mostly I don't want to shutter your illusion. You love this village. You don't know what goes on in the shadows." Sasuke murmurs.

"Sasuke, I'm a ninja too! I'm a Jonin! I don't need to be protected from whatever it is. I can handle it. I won't tell anyone." She promises him.

He actually believed her. That's what really disturbed Sasuke. He hadn't trusted anyone who wasn't Naruto in a very long time, but he believed Hinata. She wouldn't tell.

Could he really do it though? Hinata loved the Leaf. She thought that it was a fundamentally good place. The bluenette would likely be willing to die for it AGAIN, if push came to shove. Was he really cruel enough to shatter that mirage?

"I know you won't tell anyone. I'm just not going to do it. I'm not going to be the one that drags you into the shadows. You don't need to know. It won't change anything for the better and will only make you feel bad." Sasuke says firmly.

What happened next was a blur. A blur of blue. Sasuke didn't realize what had happened, until he a few seconds later when it became clear that Hinata had actually fucking pinned him?

He stares up at her incredulously. Did that really just happen? Sasuke couldn't even be angry that she wasn't taking no for an answer. He couldn't be angry that Hinata was definitely invading his personal space and "attacking" him. Mostly he was in shock.

"I'm not a China Doll. I can handle the truth. You don't need to go through whatever it is alone. You said Itachi's sacrifice, so I know something happened. Something important. If it's important to you, it's important to me. We are friends." She says.

Despite everything, Sasuke found himself smiling at her declaration. Hinata was sincere. She always was. He just hadn't expected her to be so _aggressive_ in her search for answers.

This was going to be hard to get out of though. The Hyuga Heiress clearly wasn't going to settle for any deflection. Speaking of hard, this was about to get embarrassing and rather quickly.

"Alright. I'll tell you, if you get off of me. You are kinda sitting on my new arm." He says.

That wasn't exactly a lie. Her knee was on his new hand. It didn't hurt though. He could pretend it did though. Really, it was for both their own good. The last thing he needed was for her to realize that his body had reacted THAT way towards her.

"Oh s-orry. Does it hurt?" She mumbles an apologize as she scurries off him.

"A little. I'll be fine though. You are going to want to sit down. The truth is shocking to say the least. Some days, I still have a hard time believing it." The raven haired ninja admits.

Hinata wisely sits down. If Sasuke said that it was bad enough that she should sit down, she believed him. As far the bluenette knew, he had never lied to her about anything important. She didn't think he'd start now.

"For decades, things were tense between my Clan and the rest of the Leaf. The Second Hokage thought that giving us our own District and putting us in charge of the Police Force would help things. It didn't. It just isolated us. That plan backfired." Sasuke begins as his eyes narrow at the memory of Obito's explanation.

"I did wonder sometimes why the Uchiha Clan had its own District. I just never thought to ask though." Hinata whispers.

"It's fine. Neither did most people. We were isolated. That made us an unknown. People fear what they don't understand. Fear leads to hatred. Hatred eventually leads to violence. This tension simmered under the surface for years. It turns out, my family was planning to overthrow the village. Somehow the Leaf found out about it. Itachi was given a choice. He could kill his family or watch as the village fell into a Civil War. A Civil War which would likely trigger the next Great Ninja War. He made his choice." Sasuke finishes.

The bluenette blinks. If what Sasuke was saying was the true then the Leaf had sanctioned a genocide. They ordered a thirteen year old boy to butcher his entire family in cold blood.

"I can see why you are conflicted about the village now." She whispers after processing that.

"Now you know why I didn't want to tell you. You think of this place as fundamentally good. It's not. There are good people protecting it, but it's just as self-serving as any place else at its core." Sasuke tells her.

"If you really feel that way, why do you stay? You don't sound like you want to be here." She says sadly.

Sasuke pauses as he considers how to answer that question. He still asked himself that at least a hundred times a day. He probably could slip off now. He'd proven that he wasn't about to destroy the place on a whim. He could possibly start over, if he traveled far enough. Maybe in the Land of Iron or on some remote island nation.

"Itachi sacrificed everything to protect this village and me. I'm not going to spit on his last wishes by abandoning this place again. My family is buried here. I was born here. There's a connection that I can't severe completely, no matter how hard I tried in the past." The Middle Sasuke begins.

Hinata made sense. He was staying here to honor the memory of his brother and because he had deep roots in this village. Was it selfish that in a way, she was relieved to her him say that?

"I'm glad that you decided to stay." The Hyuga Heiress replies in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Sasuke smiles. He was happy to hear her say that. It made him feel a little less selfish. He had really tore apart the very foundation of her faith in the village. She should despise him, but Hinatra didn't. He didn't think that the bluenette was actually capable of hating someone. It didn't matter how much they deserved it.

"I am too. I have people that I care about here. I made a mistake when I left for the Sound. I tried to severe all my bonds. I'm not going to do that again." Sasuke promises her.

"Good. I hope that one day, you can be h-appy here." She says as she writes down his blood pressure result on her clipboard.

"I am happy." Sasuke says.

It was on the tip of his tongue. There was more to that sentence that he wanted to say, but he couldn't. _"I am happy_ _ **with you."**_

That was the truth. When he wasn't feeling morally conflicted about his attraction to her, he was happy. Hinata was like a balm on his soul.

Really, it was as if none of the horrors of the world had ever touched her and somehow she never judged him. Not even after he told her that he hated this village. He hated her beloved village and she still didn't judge him.

"Good. Now if only you would forgive yourself." Hinata says and heads off to go check on other patients.

Meanwhile back at that Hyuga Estate, Mini Sasuke was pushing Hinata on the swing that was tied to the tree. This was an activity that both seemed to find great enjoyment in. Hiashi wasn't sure whether to find this adorable or disturbing. Apparently, the seeds were already there.

"That's really cute." Naruto observes as he stands next to Hiashi.

"I suppose it is. Now that I know what it foreshadows, it's decidedly less so." The Hyuga Patriarch murmurs in distaste causing Naruto to frown.

Mini Sasuke was a happier kid. A much happier kid than he remembered. His memories of pre-massacre Sasuke were a glimmer at best. He barely recognized that kid pushing Hinata on the swing.

Maybe if he had tried harder, things would have been better. Maybe all that Sasuke needed back then was a friend. He had been left to his own devices for years.

"You don't have to look so glum about it. I mean it's kinda obvious that he does care about her. Mini Sasuke is always with her and so is the older Sasuke. The feelings are there. Well I mean they will be there. Argh! This is all so confusing. You know what I mean though, right?" The blonde asks in frustration.

"I believe that I may understand what you are attempting to say." Hiashi offers diplomatically.

If he had pressed harder, perhaps the worst of the psychological scarring wouldn't have happened. He had only been a dumb kid though. Naruto had just wanted to be Sasuke's friend because they were both alone.

He hadn't really understood what happened to the other boy at that age. He doubted even Sasuke really understood. Still maybe if he had pushed more, things would have gotten better sooner.

 _"Yeah. So my father taught me how to use fireballs. It took a lot of tries for me to make a fireball though. Big brother learned faster. He's always faster."_ Sasuke pouted as he pushed Hinata on the swing more.

 _"It doesn't matter that it took you longer, you s-till did it. The important thing is that you didn't g-ive up."_ She says with a smile and enjoys the swinging motion.

Mini Sasuke continues pushing and considers what Hinata said. Maybe she was right. Someday though, he'd be a strong ninja. Just like his big brother!

 _"You have a sister though. Well two, kinda."_ Sasuke offers.

 _"Yeah. She's really little in our time though. It's strange seeing her bigger than me."_ Hinata admits with a giggle.

Sasuke nods in agreement. He couldn't imagine seeing a fully grown Itachi or a younger version of his brother. Itachi had always been bigger than him. That was just the way it was.

 _"Hanabi seems nice."_ Sasuke offers.

 _"Yeah. She has a lot of cl-othes too. She lets me borrow some of her old stuff."_ Hinata replies and Sasuke just rolls his eyes good-naturedly.

He really didn't understand girls sometimes. Again with the Dress Up thing. It made no sense. Why did they enjoy trying on new clothes so much?

To Sasuke, clothes were clothes. You had to wear them to keep from getting too cold or being naked. Walking around naked in front of everyone would be really embarrassing. So he liked clothes as a practical matter of things, but he didn't really care about clothes. The most important thing was that they fit and weren't orange or pink.

 _"That's nice of her."_ Sasuke agrees.

Pink and orange were horrible colors for him to wear. They looked awful on them. He didn't know why the loser insisted on wearing orange either. Yuck.

There was also a girl in their class with pink hair. The weird thing was that it looked like it was natural. Why didn't she dye it? Didn't she know that was going to make her an easy target on missions? Maybe he should warn her about that.

Back in one of the training rooms, Sasuke was once again trying to master the Hyugas' trademark style. It was difficult to say the least.

 **"Are you sure you really want to try this?"** Hinata asks warily.

 **"Of course, I do. If I can control lightning, I can learn how to do this. It just is going to take awhile. That's all."** Sasuke says.

Hinata shakes her head in amusement. Sasuke never gave up on mastering new moves on principle. His Sharingan could copy almost anything, but his body had to be physically capable of performing the jutsus or movements.

She felt her cheeks heat up as she remembered just what Sasuke's body was capable of. They probably shouldn't have risked being together on the night of Hanabi's birthday. It was just hard to go from being a married couple to acting like they weren't even together.

 **"You're blushing."** Sasuke observes.

 **"Maybe a little. It's not important though. You know that you are capable of a lot of incredible things, but you just can't bend like a Hyuga. You know how much training we go through to be able to do this, but the fact is we were also bred for it."** The bluenette says.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. It almost sounded like his wife thought that he couldn't do it. He'd show her.

 **"I take that as a challenge. Show me how to do it again."** He says.

 **"Sasuke, you are being really stubborn. You don't have to be able to do everything. This isn't a good idea and you know it."** Hinata warns him.

The Uchiha Patriarch simply shakes his head. No. He was going to do this one way or another. It was a bit embarrassing really. Their children could do it, but he couldn't? Pft.

 **"Hinata, show it to me again. I'm a big boy. I can handle it."** He assures her.

Hinata giggles. Sasuke just shakes her head at that reaction. Oh yeah. He was definitely rubbing off on his wife, if her mind went to the gutter that quickly.

 **"Oh I KNOW that you are."** She says and Sasuke shakes his head some more as he walks over to her and kisses her.

Hinata smiles and returns the kiss. It was nice that they had managed to find some privacy again. Those times were few and far between. The bluenette was going to be so very grateful when they got back to their own time and didn't have to sneak around anymore.

 **"You are not going to distract me with cuteness. Now show me how to do it."** Sasuke says as he caresses her cheek.

 **"Alright. I did warn you though."** She mumbles as she displays the Gentle Fist once more for her lover to copy.

Hinata loved Sasuke with all her heart, but she knew how stubborn he was. He was as stubborn as a bull really. Once he got an idea into his head, there really was no stopping him. With that in mind, she continues training with the love of her life.

Back at the hospital, Tsunade decides to check in on Hinata. The woman had been through a lot recently. It couldn't be easy to have two other versions of yourself running around.

"Hinata." She calls out softly.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade?" The bluenette replies just as she finishes up with another patient.

"I would like to speak to you alone, if you have a few minutes. I'll be in my office." The busty blonde says as she walks off.

That might have sounded like an invitation to most people, but any ninja worth their salt knew better. You didn't keep a Kage waiting. That was just the height of stupidity.

Hinata was aware of this. So naturally, she followed the Hokage. The Hyuga Heiress bites her lower lip nervously as she enters the room. She wasn't entirely certain what Tsunade wanted, but she was almost positive that it had something to do with Sasuke.

"Was there something you needed, My Lady?" Hinata asks.

"I was just wandering how you are adjusting to well everything. This all has to be rather overwhelming." The busty blonde reasons.

The Hyuga Heiress nods her head in agreement. Truthfully, she was still getting used to it. It was a jarring experience really to see two other versions of yourself walking around.

"I'm slowly getting used to it. They'll eventually go back to their times. Unfortunately, I can't say that we've had much luck in getting any useful information out of our older counterparts. Their too worried about altering the future to be of much assistance." Hinata admits.

Tsunade sighs. She had feared as much. Of course, the oldest Sasuke and Hinata had valid reasons to be worried about changing the future. That didn't make it any less frustrating though.

"You truly had no idea, why they are all here? There must be something that is troubling you. The mirror only activates for those who have unresolved issues." The blonde points out.

"No. Nothing is really troubling me. I don't have any idea why my younger and older self are here. Sasuke needs to learn to forgive himself though. I think that's why the other Sasukes are here. As for me, I have no idea." The bluenette admits nervously.

That wasn't particularly reassuring. Tsunade had hoped by now that they would know something. Sadly, the oldest set was very tight lipped. (Which was ironic because Sasuke had never had an issue expressing himself before.)

"Very well. Do let me know if anything changes though. If there is anything on your mind, my door is always open." She says with a smile.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade. I truly do appreciate it." Hinata replies with a bow as she returns to her exam room.

Meanwhile Kurenai was out doing some shopping when she noticed Kakashi. The silver haired ninja looked entirely too pleased with himself. He was up to something.

So being the good ninja that she was, Kurenai decided to investigate the matter further. She follows the CopyCat Ninja. The Genjutsu Mistress could be extremely stealthy when she wanted to be, but not stealthy enough apparently.

"Kurenai, is there a reason why you are trying to play Hide and Go Seek with me?" Kakashi says as he sends a few kunai sailing backwards and using them to pin her to the tree.

"I don't know. You tell me. You were whistling." She mutters.

Kakashi raises an eyebrow. Well that was certainly true. He did tend to whistle when he was in a good mood and few things were more amusing than annoying your former students. Why that had caught Kurenai's attention was a mystery though.

"I didn't realize that whistling troubled you so much." He muses.

"It doesn't. Well it usually doesn't anyway. I know you. You only whistle when you are up to something. In light of everything that has happened recently, I wanted to know what." The dark haired beauty explains.

"You really are getting too suspicious. I was merely happy that I got to spend some time with Sasuke. He's still recovering from his arm transplant, you know? It felt good to see him and catch up a bit." The Jonin answers her.

Kurenai raises an eyebrow. She didn't think that Kakashi was lying, but she had been around long enough to realize when someone wasn't telling her the full truth. That masked ninja was hiding more than just his face.

"Kakashi, what did you do?" She demands and places her hands on her hips after freeing herself.

"What is it about mothers and their hips? Why do all mothers do that?" Kakashi asks conversationally.

Kurenai just shakes her head. She was apparently going to have to play rough if she wanted some answer. She knew what Kakashi was capable of. He was a formidable opponent. That meant she was going to have to fight dirty.

The Genjutsu Mistress darts over to him and swiftly steals one of his beloved books. She smirks and waves it at him. Yes, now she was going to get some answers out of him.

"You are going to tell me what is really going on or I will burn your book. I might not be as good at hurling fireballs as Sasuke, but I can manage all the same." She warns him.

"NOOOO! You can be such a cruel woman sometimes." The CopyCat Ninja pouts.

As if to illustrate her point, Kurenai forms a fireball in her other hand. She waves the flames menacingly at the innocent novel. Well maybe innocent was stretching it a bit, Kurenai muses.

"Alright. Alright. I'll tell you. Just give me back my book. That's an autographed copy. Those are really rare!" The Jonin protests and Kurenai tosses the book back at her comrade.

"You should know that mothers know how to handle poorly behaved children. Kakashi, you might be an adult physically, but sometimes you act just as childish as your students." She notes in amusement.

Kakashi places a hand over where his heart was. He pretends to be mortally wounded. Kurenai just rolls her eyes good-naturedly. She was used to his antics by now.

"That was mean. I'm not that bad, am I? Alright. I'll admit it. I might have teased Sasuke a bit. It's only natural though. Almost every Sensei teases their students when they get their first crush." He reasons.

The ruby eyed woman raises an eyebrow. Sasuke had a crush? She wasn't even aware that Uchihas could get crushes. She was pretty sure that they were like lions or something. Kurenai had always assumed that when they found someone suitable, any courtship would be brief. She had never really seen Uchihas date, even before the massacre.

She pauses as she considers that assessment. Perhaps it wasn't fair. They did have their own District. Maybe they had just confined any courting to the insides of it.

"Sasuke Uchiha has a crush?" She asks skeptically.

"Yes, I know. I was surprised as well. I think it's rather endearing really. Of course, he needs a push or two in the right direction. He's unexpectedly shy. Sasuke seems to think that he's being noble by not telling her how he feels. That he's cursed or something." Kakashi continues.

Well Sasuke had a point there. He hadn't had the best luck. Still everyone deserved a chance at love and it would be a good idea to ensure that he was a happy Uchiha. (Happy Uchihas were less likely to destroy villages. )

"You have my attention. Who do you think that he has feelings for?" Kurenai inquires.

"That's the most surprising thing about all of this. I never would have suspected that he would have feelings for Hinata. Talk about opposites attracting. Still I think that it could work. Perhaps she would be a good influence on him and I really think tha-" Kakashi begins to answer the Genjtusu Mistress, but then is forced to stop in the middle of his explanation to catch the fainting woman.

"Sasuke likes HINATA?!" She exclaims.

"Oh yes. He's got a bad case of puppy love at a minimum." The Jonin confirms.

Kurenai blinks. What in the world was coming to? Sasuke liked Hinata. She couldn't wrap her head around that fact. She couldn't help but wonder what her student had gotten herself into and if the bluenette could handle it.

"Well then as their Senseis, I suppose it's up to us to ensure that the village survives this teenage soap opera." She mutters.

"Yes, my thoughts exactly." He says pleasantly.

"And if you want to keep your hand attached, I suggest you take it off my backside." She warns him.

Kakashi had still been holding Kurenai. He looks slightly sheepish when he realizes exactly where his hands had been resting. The CopyCat ninja to his credit, quickly helps her stand up and removes his hands.

"Sorry about that. It was an accident." He assures her.

"Yes, it was an accident and Tsunade's breasts are natural." The young mother says sarcastically as she rolls her eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 9

 **"If we go for number five, are you going to act the same way you did while I was pregnant with our other children?"** Hinata asks Sasuke with amusement, once they were alone.

 **"Of course, I am. I'm not sure why you felt it necessary to ask that. Besides, you don't need to feign your protests anymore. I know that you secretly enjoy it."** Sasuke says smugly as he kisses her cheek.

Hinata shakes her head and laughs. She didn't know what it was about that look on Sasuke's face, but it was completely adorable. No one did smug better than her husband.

 **"I'll admit that I do enjoy it. Well most of the time, I rather like the extra pampering. By the end of the pregnancy though, your hovering drives me crazy."** Hinata admits.

 **"I don't see why. You seem to love when I hover over you while we are trying to conceive them."** The raven haired ninja replies arrogantly and Hinata lightly swats him.

Sasuke was Sasuke. He could never resist teasing her when they were alone. The mother of four feels her face heat up slightly at his joke though. Hinata knew that she couldn't really deny that.

 **"You're bad. You know that, right?"** She asks.

 **"You married a former S Class Criminal and are shocked when I do not conduct myself like a monk? Cognitive dissonance, thy name is Hinata. Besides, you LIKE it when I'm bad."** Sasuke says smugly as he lightly bites down on her neck and then licks the skin soothingly.

 **"G-ood point."** She moans softly as she leans into him and smiles as she remembers a _**Sasuke Episode**_ from her first pregnancy.

 _"Hinata, what are you doing?" Sasuke asked and raised the eyebrow at the sight of his wife in the kitchen._

 _"Making dinner?" She replied innocently as she opened one of the cupboards and reached for some pots and pans._

 _Sasuke shook his head. He grabbed the pot, set it down, and promptly scooped her up Bridal Style. This caused her to giggle and look at him in confusion as the bluenette wraps her arms around his neck._

 _"Sasuke?" The expectant mother asked._

 _"Hinata, you're pregnant. You know that stuff could have fallen on you or you could burn yourself. You should be resting. I'll take care of dinner. Alright?" The Uchiha Patriarch says as he carried off his wife back to their room._

 _Hinata blinked. He had to be kidding her. Yes, she was pregnant. But she was only a month along. She wasn't even showing yet._

 _"Sasuke, that's sweet. Aren't you overreacting a little bit though? I feel fine. I'm not even showing and thus far I haven't even had any Morning Sickness. There's no reason that I shouldn't be able to cook." The bluenette reasons._

 _The medic thought her reasoning was perfectly logic. It was really, but Sasuke wasn't in a logical mood. He was in Papa Bear mode and apparently from his perspective, logic could be damned._

 _"Sure there is. I don't want anything to happen to you or our baby. Besides, you don't have to cook. I can do it or we can order take out." Sasuke said simply as he gently laid his wife on the bed._

 _"Sasuke, you're being just a little bit ridiculous and nhh that's really not fair." She sighed in pleasure and arched into the gentle kisses he had begun placing upon her neck._

 _Hinata could feel him smirk. That evil bastard. He knew he had won. Sasuke knew that was one of her spots._

 _"Maybe a little. Humor me. Let me take care of you. Besides my Queen should enjoy relaxing in the Royal Bedchambers, upon her throne of pillows." He stated._

 _"Alright. I'll humor you, but really you don't have to be so worried. Women have been getting pregnant since humanity existed. I'll be fine. Really." She assured him._

 _"I'd feel a lot better, if you took it easy though." Sasuke said and he kissed her forehead._

 _Hinata shook her head. True to his word, her husband did cook dinner. She remembered enjoying the steak as she indulged in a lot of cuddling with him. Sasuke would never call it cuddling though, but that is EXACTLY what it was. He was also very good at it._

 **"There's nothing wrong with being careful."** Sasuke reasons.

 **"Sasuke, I was pregnant. I wasn't suffering from a potentially fatal illness."** Hinata informs him with a giggle.

He gives her a look. His methods of caring for his wife were effective, were they not? They had four healthy children and Hinata had recovered quickly after they had each one.

 **"You can't argue with the results though."** He defends himself.

 **"That's true. I love you, even if you are an protective Papa Bear sometimes. It just means you care."** She says as she snuggles into his arms.

Sasuke protested the Papa Bear nickname, but sighs as he wraps his arms around her tighter. Hopefully, that one wouldn't stick around. Hinata did seem to enjoy experimenting with nicknames. Sasuke had probably half a dozen for Hinata at this point himself though.

Meanwhile Kurenai and Kakashi were plotting. Well that's what Kurenai called it. Kakashi protested that label because it carried a somewhat sinister connotation.

"I can't believe you are actually quibbling over what we are calling it." Kurenai notes in amusement.

"We are simply strategizing about the best way to help our former students. It's not plotting." The silver haired ninja insists.

Kurenai shakes her head. Only Kakashi. Well she supposed it didn't really matter what they called it. They had a lot of work no matter which way you sliced it.

"Sasuke already knows you are a _**"strategizing,"**_ so he would have his guard up around you. Perhaps it would be best, if I spoke to him. You can speak to Hinata." She reasons.

"That's a good point. I'll go speak with Hinata. She should be at the hospital and checking on other patients. Sasuke is still in recovery. So it should be an easy matter for you to find him." The CopyCat Ninja says.

Kurenai nods and decides to follow the other Jonin's advise. So the Genjutsu Mistress heads to the hospital. Kakashi was right. It didn't take her long to find Sasuke's room.

"Hello." She calls out politely.

Sasuke blinks when he sees Kurenai. That was unexpected. He couldn't help but wonder why she was there. They had never really spoken. Maybe she just wanted to ensure that he was being nice to Hinata, while her student continued treating him.

"Kurenai." The Uchiha says simply.

The ruby eyed woman takes that as a good sign and approaches him. While it wasn't the warmest greeting, it was civil. Civil was something of a rarity when it came to the last Uchiha.

Idly, she wonders if that was an accurate label considering there were two other Sasuke's running around. She shakes her head as if to banish that thought. At the moment, that didn't matter. What mattered was getting answers out of Sasuke and perhaps giving him a gentle nudge in the right direction.

"How are you feeling?" She asks.

"Better. I'll probably be released from the hospital in a couple days. It does help to have a good medic though." He muses.

"Yes, that's what I wanted to speak to you about actually." Kurenai says gently as she sits on the edge of his bed.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Yes, she was probably going to warn him not to upset Hinata. That or plead with him to be nice to her student. The raven haired ninja was almost certain of it really.

"I haven't attacked her and I have no plans to do so. Hinata has been very…kind to me." He says as he glances at the clock.

"Oh I believe you. If you were going to hurt her, you have had ample opportunity. I know that you are staying at the Hyuga Estate." The female ninja informs him in a rather uncharacteristically blunt fashion for her.

The Uchiha stiffens. She knew that he was staying at the Hyuga Estate? But how? Damn it. How many other people knew?

"How did you know that?" He demands.

"You aren't seeing heading into the Uchiha District anymore. I doubt anyone else noticed, but I did. I wouldn't make a very good Jonin, if I lacked observational skills." The ruby eyed woman answers him honestly.

Sasuke breathes a sigh of relief. That was good. If she had seen the other sets, surely she would have mentioned it. It looked like their secret was safe for now. The timeline couldn't be altered.

"That's true. It's a long story." He mutters.

"Oh I'm sure it is. Though I must admit that I am more interested in your relationship with Hinata than anything else." The Genjutsu Mistress says.

Damn it. He wasn't sure if that was better or worse than Kurenai knowing about the other sets. This wasn't Kakashi.

She wasn't someone who meddled for the sake of meddling. Sasuke couldn't use the same tactics on her that he did on his former Sensei. It'd be too cruel.

"If you know that we have been living in the same Estate together and that I haven't attacked her, I fail to see what you wanted to speak with me about." The raven haired man says.

"Sasuke, I know that you don't really know me. But I want you to know that I really do care for my students. I want them to be happy." She replies.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He wasn't entirely certain where this was going. This could either end very well or very badly. Despite this, he gestures for her to continue.

"Yes, that's understandable. Any good instructor wants that for their students." Sasuke offers.

"Of course. I'm aware that it's likely you have romantic feelings for her. While I would have expressed concerns before, I think that you've proven it's unlikely you are planning to attack the Leaf again. Hinata has always been shy, especially when it comes to the opposite sex." The dark beauty continues on.

Sasuke found himself smirking. He wondered if Kurenai would still think that Hinata was shy, if she saw the Hyuga woman straddle his waist. As soon as that thought came to him, he tries to dismiss it. Kurenai was perceptive. Sasuke couldn't afford to give anything away in his facial expressions about how he felt towards the Hyuga Heiress.

"What makes you think that I have romantic feelings for her?" Sasuke asks.

"The way that you focus so intensely when I say her name. The only other person that warrants such a response from you is Naruto. I know you aren't in love with him, but you are also living with her. That and you say her name with a certain tenderness that I haven't heard you grant anyone else." Kurenai answers.

This prompted Sasuke to sigh. Kurenai was enormously perceptive. He doubted that he could deny it and have her believe him. He'd have to come clean.

"You're right. I like her and she is usually rather shy. I'm not planning to make her aware of my feelings though. She deserves better." He says as he glances out the window.

"Isn't that something that she should be able to decide for herself?" The Genjtusu Mistress inquires.

"Maybe. I'm doing her a favor though. Hinata is different than me. She sees the world in a far more pure way than I do. Honestly, I don't want to ruin her. The shadows shouldn't touch her." He states.

Kurenai didn't even have to ask what he meant by the shadows. She knew exactly what Sasuke was referring to. The shadows referred to the hidden side of the Leaf. The more unpleasant one.

"Hinata is an optimist. You are a pessimist. In a way, you might balance each other out. Everyone deserves a second chance. I think that you could be good for her. You are more…observant than Naruto when it comes to these types of things. You notice things. You would be able to give her the attention that she needs. I want you to at least think about it. It's obvious that you do care about her a great deal. I can hear it in your voice." She says.

"Kakashi put you up to this, didn't he?" Sasuke asks and Kurenai face faults.

Sasuke smirks. He'd take that as a yes. The Uchiha just shakes his head and reaches his good arm towards the young mother to help her up.

"How did you know that?" Kurenai asks.

"You smell like him. Kakashi wears a certain cologne. You were clearly talking to him recently. I put two and two together. It looks like I'm not the only one that needs to move on from the past. I am sorry about Asuma. I didn't know him well, but he seemed surprisingly normal a Leaf Ninja. Asuma wouldn't want you to be alone though." The raven ahired ninja shocks her by saying.

Kurenai blinks. It was surprising that Sasuke would actually try to give her relationship advice. Really she didn't know whether to be touched or to laugh. She settles on touched though. In his own strange way, he was reaching out to her.

"Yes, Asuma was as good man. He was gone far too soon. Maybe you're right, but I'm impressed that you would note such a trivial detail about someone. You are very…aware of your surroundings." She replies cautiously.

"I have to be aware of my surroundings. Far too many people want me dead, for me not to be. Anyway, Kakashi's always late and he's a pervert, but he does need you. Mostly because I'm going to end up killing him, if he doesn't stop meddling. You'd be good together." Sasuke finishes.

"I'll think about it." Kurenai says and Sasuke smiles.

Elsewhere, the youngest Sasuke and Hinata were currently exploring the library. Sasuke had found a book and was curiously skimming through the pictures. It was a photo album of some kind.

 _"What's that?"_ Hinata asks curiously as she wanders over to see what her friend had found.

 _"Picture book. Someone had a party. Like the kind you see in fairytales. Look at their clothes. All fancy."_ He answers.

Hinata looks at the book curiously. She smiles when she saw what Sasuke was referring to. Yes, everyone had been wearing their finest clothes that night.

 _"That was my mother's Introduction. That's what we call it when Hyuga people come of age. The age that they are old enough to begin courting. A big celebration is thrown and everyone dresses up. It's an even bigger party than the one we had for Hanabi on her last birthday."_ Hinata explains.

 _"Oh that's cool. I'll take you, when you get big enough. I mean, if you want me to."_ Sasuke says.

Hinata smiles and nods. That would be fun. She tries to imagine Sasuke dressed up so formally and couldn't do it. The young girl giggles at the very idea.

 _"I'd like that, but you would have to play Dress Up."_ The bluenette reminds him.

 _"That's okay. I don't mind playing Dress Up sometimes, for you."_ Sasuke says.

Back at the hospital, Kakashi looks around until he finds Hinata. He wasn't entirely certain what would be the best way to approach her about all this. Hinata was a very shy young woman and he didn't want to embarrass her too badly. That would risk scarring her off.

Sasuke was a different matter. The silver haired ninja greatly enjoyed his verbal spars with Sasuke. Generally, the more death threats he received, the more he knew that he was winning. Sadly, a different approach would be necessary when it came to the young Hyuga Princess.

"Hinata, do you have a few moments?" Kakashi asks softly when he finds her.

"Of course. What is it that you need?" Hinata replies as she leads him into her office.

He pauses. The Copycat Ninja knew that he had to put this delicately. Hinata would likely bolt otherwise.

"I have grown rather concerned about Sasuke lately. I'm afraid that he might be viewing himself in a less than flattering way. He's too hard on himself." The silver haired ninja begins cautiously.

"I know what you mean. He hasn't really forgiven himself for what he did before the war. I have talked to him about it though. Really, I think that Sasuke is making progress. It's just slow progress." Hinata tells him with a smile.

Kakashi nods. Well so far things seemed to be going well. He decides to press his luck.

"I think that he would have great difficulty with his second goal. He seems to believe he's too corrupted to establish something like a romantic bond." The masked ninja continues.

Hinata bites her lower lip. It was sad, but she knew exactly what Kakashi was talking about. Sasuke did appear to view himself as damaged. It was possible that he viewed himself as damaged beyond repair.

An image of him speaking about his older self came to mind though. Sasuke had asked about having a wife and children. So there was a part of Sasuke that believed he was capable of having such a thing.

"I think that he'll manage. Sasuke is like Naruto in that way. He has a way of surprising people." The bluenette observes with a smile.

He had been so cute. Sasuke had been so hopeful. It had really reminded her of a puppy trying to beg for a treat or a child trying to sneak a cookie from the cookie jar. Clearly, he did yearn for more bonds than he had at the moment. So that was a good sign.

"That's true." The Jonin agrees.

"Was that all that you wanted to speak with me about? I'll try to help him as best as I can, but really he has to forgive himself. There's only so much else that I or anyone else can do." Hinata reasons.

Kakashi knew that he was about to take a major gamble, but it was one that he felt he had to take. There really was no other way.

"Do you feel that he would be able to establish those types of bonds? That he could be someone's lover and start over?" Kakashi inquires.

"I know he can, if he lets himself." Hinata says and Kakashi smiles.

Good. That was a good sign. Obviously, the two of them were going to need more of a nudge, but this was a very good start.

"Wonderful. Well I don't wish to keep you from your patients any longer than necessary. I'll see you later." He says as he leaves.

Hinata nods. That was a little weird. She wondered why Kakashi would seek her out like that. She shrugs and decides to go check on Sasuke.

Imagine her surprise when she saw Kurenai leaving his room. She blinks. Unfortunately, the Genjutsu Mistress was already down the hall by the time Hinata recovered enough from her shock to call out to her.

"You just missed her." Sasuke murmurs from his bed.

"Yeah. I see that. What was Kurenai Sensei doing here? I didn't realize that the two of you were friends." Hinata asks curiously as she enters Sasuke's room.

"Oh she just wanted to see how I was doing and to make sure that I was playing nicely with you." Sasuke assures her.

Technically, that wasn't a lie. It wasn't the full truth though. Sasuke figured he could get away with _lying by omission._ He didn't want at repeat of earlier. Hinata had a way of getting him to spill his secrets without even trying to make him do so. That was dangerous. Very dangerous.

"That was nice of her. If she's worried, I can talk to her. I know that you wouldn't hurt me." Hinata says with a smile as she sits on the bed with him.

Not on purpose. That was the first thought on Sasuke's mind when he heard Hinata's declaration. It was touching because she said it with such absolute certainty. The Hyuga Heiress really did trust him.

Why, Sasuke didn't have any idea. No one should trust him, especially not people like her. Innocent people should definitely not trust him.

"Not on purpose. I wouldn't do it on purpose." Sasuke says.

Hinata sighs. Kakashi had a point. Sasuke definitely hadn't forgiven himself. Her heart ached for him. He was the product of his environment more than anything else. Mini Sasuke proved that.

Mini Sasuke was a normal, happy child. There was nothing malicious about him. The darkness hadn't touched him yet, but Hinata knew that it would. What was most heartbreaking though was the fact that she knew neither of them could do anything to prevent him from going through the pain that was sure to come.

"I know. Sasuke, you really are too hard on yourself. I don't know what happened while you were gone, but I know you now. You aren't that person anymore." The bluenette says as she caresses his cheek.

"I am, Hinata. You just don't see it because you only see the good in people." He says.

Hinata shakes her head. She'd get through to him eventually. There had to be a way.

"Your recovery is going well. You'll be out of here soon. Just in time for my Introduction too." She says with a smile.

"Yeah. It is healing rather nicely. It'll be nice to get out of the hospital. I have been going a little stir crazy. Wait. Your what?" Sasuke asks with a raised eyebrow.

He had no idea what Hinata meant by that. Who was she getting introduced to and why? She said the word in a way that implied it was an important occasion.

"My Clan has a tradition when our people are old enough to court. We call it the Introduction. A grand celebration is held. Everyone wears their best clothes, there is lots of food, and music. It's very symbolic in our culture." She explains.

"Oh. I see. Well I'm sure that will go well. My Clan didn't really have something that lavish. We were just considered adults whenever we could throw a fireball. It was a big deal to us though. Sometimes parents would throw celebrations afterwards. Though I suspect that none of them were as grand as what you are implying." Sauske notes in amusement.

Hinata blinks. Really? That was how Uchihas determined who was an adult and who was a child? That was so very Sasuke-ish. Nevermind how old someone was. The most important thing was could they throw a fireball?

"I want you to come with me. I think it will be good for you to relax and have some fun for once. We can worry about why our other selves are here another day." The Hyuga Heiress reasons.

Sasuke pauses as he considers what she was saying. Sadly, they weren't any closer to discovering why the mirror had activated today than they had been on the day that the other sets had arrived. It was incredibly frustrating really.

"I'd love to go with you. You're right. We aren't going to get answers out of them anytime soon. They are so tight lipped that they might as well be vaults." Sasuke says with a sigh.

Hinata nods in agreement. Their older selves were rather determined not to let anything slip that might alter the future. The only time that they had done so, was when the eldest Sasuke made that comment about biting.

The bluenette still wasn't sure how to interpret THAT comment. Had Sasuke been joking? Had he been warning her not to underestimate him? Maybe it was something more though. She wasn't entirely sure. Sasuke would always be something of an enigma.

"We are going to have to get you a formal male dress kimono though. I doubt you have one." She muses.

"What makes you think that I don't have one?" Sasuke inquries.

"I've never seen you wear one. You left when you were twelve or thirteen. So I doubt you had one back then. Since you arrived, you haven't had any need to dress up formally. So I'm pretty sure that you don't have one." The Hyuga Heiress concludes logically.

Sasuke pauses as he considers that. She was right. Still he wasn't going to admit that to her. He didn't want Hinata to think that he was Naruto or something. He could dress up, when he had to.

"I might have one laying around somewhere." He says defensively.

"Mhm. Well if you can't find it, let me know. I'm sure that we can find you something that will look nice on you." Hinata says with a giggle.

Maybe he'd be able to find one of his father's old dress kimonos. Of course that would mean taking a quick trip back to the Uchiha District to find it. Sasuke shivers as he contemplates that possibility.

He had lived there for years after the Massacre. In a way, it had been somewhat comforting to see those buildings. They were the closest connection that he had with his fallen family.

"Are you trying to say that I don't look nice in my hospital gown?" Sasuke asks dryly.

Now things were different. Most of the buildings had been leveled thanks to Pein's attack. Thankfully, his house had survived intact. That was something of a miracle. Sasuke had no idea how that happened.

The Uchiha District looked like a ghost town now. It was just depressing. It used to be so full of life and now it was anything but. Going back there would be difficult, but he'd do it.

"No! Th-at's not it at all. You do. I'm ju-st saying that I don't think you can wear that to a formal event." She stammers out quickly.

"Relax, Hinata. I was only teasing you." Sasuke says and Hinata breathes out a sigh of relief at the knowledge that she hadn't actually offended him.

It was hard to tell really. Sasuke wasn't an easy person to read. The last thing she wanted to do was to offend him and have Sasuke shut himself off again. So Hinata had been really worried that she had put her foot in her mouth there. Mercifully, that wasn't the case.

"Oh good. Well um let me know about the kimono." She mumbles.

"I'll let you know about the kimono." Sasuke assures her.


	10. Chapter 10

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

 **Chapter Notation:** The first part of this chapter is told mostly from Sasuke's point of view. History is going to repeat itself in a very good way ;)

Chapter 10

Sasuke frowns as he realizes what Hinata's Introduction really meant. It meant that by Hyuga Standards she was old enough to be formally courted and to marry. She was the Heiress of the Hyuga Clan. That alone meant that she was going to have a lot of men showing up for her Introduction.

That wasn't even factoring in her other attractive attributes. She was salso kind, possessed a quiet strength, and she was beautiful. Sasuke also highly doubted that he was the only man to admire her smile and her pillows. It was a given that others ninjas would be interested in a lot more than just friendship with the shy medic.

"Damn it." He mutters as he glances at the white lilies he asked Aoda to fetch earlier.

 _"Aoda, I need you to do me a favor." Sasuke said._

 _"Of course, Master Sasuke. How may I be of service?" The giant snake asked as he peeked his head through the hospital window._

 _Sasuke bit his lower lip. He still didn't know if this was entirely a good idea, but that wasn't going to stop him anyway. After all, she had asked him to go to her Introduction. That had to mean SOMETHING, right?_

 _"I want you to find me some white lilies." The raven haired ninja said._

 _"You want me to find you flowers? Oh that's wonderful news. I was beginning to wonder when humans went into heat. Your species seems to have hatchlings year round. It's very confusing." The enormous reptile mused._

 _Sasuke shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was to give Aoda a lesson on human biology. He just wanted the flowers._

 _"We don't go into heat. It just kinda happens whenever the mood strikes. Can you get the white lilies or not?" The Uchiha grumbled._

 _"Of course, I can get them. Don't worry. I'm sure your future Mate will love them and that you will sire many strong hatchlings." The Summon assured him._

 _The young ninja didn't even know how to respond to that. A fucking snake was trying to give him love advice. Granted, it was Aoda. Aoda was a lot more human than some actual humans, but still. It struck him as odd._

 _"Thank you, Aoda. I appreciate your help." Sasuke told him as the serpent nodded and slithered off to complete his "mission."_

On the bright side, Aoda had gotten the flowers. On the not so bright side, Sasuke still wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say. This was all so new to him.

He was used to girls chasing him. The young ninja had never really pursued anyone in a romantic fashion. Thankfully, it wasn't like he was Naruto or something.

Sasuke wasn't completely hopeless. He did understand the basics, but still. This was awkward and on top of that, the raven haired man still wasn't sure this was a good idea.

Didn't she deserve better? Hinata deserved someone who wasn't as broken as he was. She definitely deserved someone with less of a temper. He was being selfish by asking her this, but Sasuke was going to do it anyway. He was going to ask her to be his girlfriend.

"I think the transplant is going well. Can you bend your arm?" Hinata asks Sasuke a few minutes later, after she came into his hospital room to check on him.

"I can try." Sasuke replies as he tries to bend his arm, feeling rather silly.

He was one of the strongest ninjas to have ever lived, yet he could barely bend his arm. That was pathetic. Sasuke was knowledgeable enough about human anatomy to realize that this was normal after a limb transplant, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing.

"Is it painful to bend or move it at all?" She whispers.

Sasuke shakes his head. No, it wasn't. He smirks as he leans over the side of his bed slightly and opens a dresser drawer that was nearby. The raven haired pulled something out and handed it to Hinata. It was now or never, he supposed.

"What's this?" Hinata asks in an adorably confused voice as she notices the large bouquet of white lilies.

"Flowers. I wanted to thank you for everything. I know that things have been really bizarre lately, but there is no one that I would rather go through this than you. Not to mention, I do appreciate you helping me recover from the transplant." Sasuke tells her.

The raven haired ninja felt enormously relieved when he saw that Hinata was smiling. Soon the bluenette was sniffing the beautiful flowers happily. Maybe this would work out after all.

"Thank you. Their beautiful. Why white lilies though?" The young woman asks.

"They remind me of you. White generally symbolizes purity and innocence. I can't think of anyone that describes better than you. That and lilies are a rather modest flower. They aren't showy, but they are beautiful." He explains.

Sasuke wasn't sure whether to be happy or concerned when Hinata giggles at his explanation. Why was she laughing? Was that a good or a bad sign?

"Thank you. Their beautiful. I didn't realize you were such an expert on floral symbolism. Perhaps you should try to get a job in Ino's Flower Shop?" She suggests.

Sasuke snorts in amusement. He couldn't believe that Hinata had actually said that. The Hyuga Heiress thought that he would work in a flower shop? Hinata thought that an Uchiha would spend all day organizing and selling flowers? That was borderline blasphemy and they both knew it.

"I don't want a job in a flower shop. I think we both know that I would likely end up burning it to the ground out of frustration." The raven haired ninja replies.

"That's true. Have you thought about what you want to do, when this all settles down?" The young Hyuga woman asks.

"A little. There are really only two jobs that interest me." He states vaguely.

When Sasuke saw that Hinata was tilting her head, he felt emboldened. She was listening to him. The other ninja was genuinely curious about what he was going to say.

It was nice to have someone who actually cared about your opinion and hadn't just decided in advance what you going to do or say. That was part of the reason why he was attracted to her really. Hinata respected his right to make his own choices.

"What are they? I mean, if you don't mind telling me. You don't have to obviously. I'm just curious." She stammers out.

"The first is I'd like to be a medic. I know it's not a natural fit for me, but the Sharingan would make learning medical jutsus easier. It would be nice to use my abilities for something other than destruction." Sasuke tells her.

Sasuke wasn't surprised when he saw Hinata blink. He knew that the very idea of him being a medic probably sounded absurd. In typical Hinata fashion though, she didn't dismiss his goal. She encouraged him.

"Oh well I'm gl-ad! I bet you'd be really good at that job. Plus, it would probably go a long way towards helping people become more c-comfortable with you. You're really smart. So I don't think it would take very long for you to go through the training program either." What's the other job?" She inquires innocently.

Everything Hinata did, she did innocently. Sasuke very much doubted that she had one sneaky bone in her body. Maybe a sneaky fingernail, but that was only for Sakura. (Once again, he reminds himself to look into that strange situation later, before shoving that thought to the side.)

Sasuke gets up and glances at Hinata determinedly. Part of him couldn't' believe that he was actually going to do this. The other part was kicking himself for waiting this long.

"Taking care of you. I don't want anything to happen my lily." The raven haired ninja says as he gently brushes his lips against hers.

Sasuke made sure to be extremely gentle. He didn't want to scare Hinata. He didn't want her to think that he was some sort of animal. He COULD be gentle, when he wanted to be.

He sees Hinata's eyes widen in shock. Clearly, she hadn't expected him to do that. Sasuke was about to pull away when a miracle happened. She kissed back. She really, really kissed back!

"I'd like that." The Hyuga woman whispers before returning his kiss.

Hinata couldn't believe it. She was kissing Sasuke. Well more like he was kissing her. It was nothing like what she would have expected though.

The Hyuga Heiress would have thought hiss kisses would be fiery and aggressive, but they weren't. Instead, they were slow and sensual, openmouthed kisses. Oh and Sasuke certainly wasn't shy about using his tongue to seduce her either.

While his kiss was gentle, it was also very much a dominant one. There was no question over who was in control. Hinata didn't mind though. There was something very exciting about the way he kissed her. Soon she found herself moaning into it and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She wanted more of this feeling.

"You taste like honey." He murmurs after breaking the kiss and caressing her cheek.

"You taste like cinnamon candy." She tells him.

That had been the real start of everything. Hinata shocks even herself when she kisses him again. It didn't take long for Sasuke to pin her against the wall. Hinata quickly wraps her legs around Sasuke's waist after that passionate display. She just couldn't resist.

Everything had felt so good. She'd never been kissed like that before. No one had ever thrown her up against the all in a frenzy of desire. It had all been perfect, until the sounds of children giggling could be heard from across the hallway.

"Catch me, if you can!" Her younger self giggles as Mini Sasuke chases after her.

The modern Sasuke and Hinata quickly broke apart. They definitely couldn't let their younger selves see them like that. Hinata glances at Sasuke and he looks back at her. Silently, the two of them agree to talk about this later. Later when their younger selves weren't playing Tag in the hospital's hallways.

A few hours later, Naruto notices that the eldest Sasuke and Hinata seemed to be in a suspiciously good mood. Idly, he wonders if they had managed to sneak off again. The bastard seemed much less moody after he got spend some _quality time_ with Hinata. (Really, he should have thought about getting Sasuke a girlfriend before!)

"Hey, guys. You look pretty happy today." Naruto says cheerfully.

Sasuke and Hinata exchange a look. He was really going to try this, wasn't he? Oh boy. Naruto was about as subtle as a bull in a China Shop.

 **"Of course. It's a beautiful day. Why wouldn't we be?"** The bluenette asks sweetly.

"You're happy because of the weather?" Naruto asks in confusion.

 **"Yeah. I was going to try to show my younger self how to do a Lion's Barrage. I'd rather not have to do it inside. Stuff might get broken and Hinata wanted to go swimming."** Sasuke explains.

Technically, he wasn't lying. He just wasn't telling Naruto the whole truth. Hopefully, he'd buy it though. If he didn't, Sasuke was just going to have to hope that his wife could come up with something fast. He had nothing after the training and swimming excuser.

"Oh right. Guess that's true. Well have fun." The blonde says brightly.

 **"We will."** Hinata assures him while mentally breathing a sigh of relief.

That had been a close one. They couldn't let Naruto know the real reason why they were so happy. If they hadn't altered the timeline, today was the day. Today was the day that Sasuke would tell Hinata how he felt. That meant if things went well, that they wouldn't have to hide their relationship anymore.

 **"Come on, Sasuke. Let's get started on your training."** He says.

 _"Okay! I can't wait to get stronger!_ " The mini Sasuke says as he follows his older self off for some training.

Sasuke didn't actually want to train his younger self how to do that move. He reasons it didn't matter though. He wasn't going to remember it later on anyway. Besides, he had told Naruto he was going to do it. If he didn't, the loser would probably get suspicious.

 **"Alright. So first, I want to see how fast you are. Let's see you run."** Sasuke instructs him.

One of the nice things about his younger self is that he was rather obedient. When Sasuke asked him to run, he did so gladly. Sasuke nods approvingly. Well he was fast. Even at that age, he had been fast.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to properly do a Lion's Barrage. That wasn't unexpected though. He had to do some extra training as a Genin to copy Lee's move. Of course his seven year old self wouldn't be able to do it automatically. That just wasn't realistic.

 _"How was that?!"_ The youngest Uchiha asks excitedly.

 **"That was pretty good. You are going to need to get faster though. This technique requires a lot of speed."** Sasuke informs himself.

The younger Sasuke nods his head determinedly. Sasuke found himself smiling wistfully. It was tragic really.

Mini Sasuke had no idea what he was about to return home to. The only way he could console himself was the knowledge that his pain wouldn't last forever. It would take a long time, but eventually things would get better. That didn't stop him from feeling guilty though.

 _"He needs to get faster, but he's already really fast?"_ Hinata observes.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. This girl was really sneaky. How had she managed to sneak up on both of them? Apparently, in addition to being a fabulous lover and a wonderful mother, his future wife also had fantastic stealth skills. He found himself slightly envious of them actually.

 _"Thanks!"_ Sasuke says and he races around again.

 **"You're cute when you peacock."** Hinata whispers into his ear.

Sasuke almost jumps. What the Hell? Both of them?! Nevermind. He should have seen that coming. If Mini Hinata was here, his Hinata was sure to follow.

 **"I don't peacock."** Sasuke mutters.

 **"Of course. Would you prefer strut like a lion?"** His wife asks while giggling.

The Uchiha Patriarch raises an eyebrow. His dignity was under assault here. He was going to have to do something.

 **"Well this lion is going to drag his lioness back to the den at this rate and she won't be able to strut properly for a week."** Sasuke warns her.

He was very gratified to see her blush. The raven haired man felt himself smirk at this knowledge. He could still make her blush, even after all these years. That made him feel rather smug.

 _"Do you see any lions?"_ Hinata whispers to Sasuke and he shakes his head.

Adults could be weird sometimes. He didn't see any lions either. What were they talking about? Was this some sort of code?

 _"I don't see any lions. Either they have gone crazy or they are using a code. Maybe some sort of code they made for a mission? I don't get it either."_ Sasuke replies.

 _"Oh good. I'm glad that I'm not the only one who is confused."_ Hinata says.

While this was going on, Hinata was out shopping for a suitable kimono to wear to her Introduction. Her father had said price wasn't an issue. So she had enlisted Kurenai's help to pick something.

Kurenai couldn't help but notice that her student was rather distracted to put it mildly. The Genjutsu Mistress watches her curiously as she leads her inside one of the clothing stores. Hinata might have been walking right next to her, but her head was clearly a million miles away.

"Hinata, are you alright?" She asks.

"Oh yes! I'm fine. Why do you ask?" The bluenette squeaks.

Kurenai raises an eyebrow. She certainly didn't sound fine to her. Hinata was a Jonin. The woman really shouldn't be squeaking.

"I think that lavender, white, or a light blue might be a good choice for the Kimono and I ask because your head seems to be in the cloud. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess this has something to do with Sasuke. What happened?" The young mother inquires.

The Jonin shakes her head and catches Hinata before the flustered woman could fall. Kurenai had been the Hyuga Heiress's instructor since she was 12. So she had expected that reaction.

"What mak-es you think it's about Sasuke?" Hinata stammers out.

"Well he speaks highly of you. That's why I suspected it had to do with him and your reaction just confirms it. Hinata, talk to me. Sometimes it helps to just have someone who is willing to listen. What did he do or say?" The bluenette asks.

Hinata blushes. She wasn't really sure that she should tell anyone yet. She and Sasuke hadn't had a chance to speak about what happened yet. This was Kurenai though. Surely, she could keep a secret.

"You won't tell anyone, what I tell you?" The Hyuga woman asks nervously.

"I won't tell anyone. Whatever you tell me, will stay between us. I would never betray your trust like that." Kurenai assures her.

"Alright. Well I was checking on Sasuke. He's going to get released from the hospital tomorrow. So I wanted to make sure that he was okay." She mumbles.

Kurenai nods her head encouragingly. She could see that this was going to be like pulling teeth to get an answer out of the shy young woman. That didn't necessarily mean that whatever happened was scandalous though. Hinata was easily flustered after all. Despite this, Kurenai couldn't deny that she was very curious.

"Of course. You were just doing your job and being a good friend. Then what happens?" The ruby eyed ninja questions Hinata gently.

"Well we were talking. He gave me flowers. At first, he was just thanking me for helping him with his recovery. It was nice of him, but I didn't think it was anything more than that." She mumbles.

Kurenai nods her head understandingly, but on the inside she was a little shocked to put it mildly. Sasuke Uchiha had gotten someone flowers? The world really had been tilted on its axis. She pushes her shock to the side though. Kurenai knew that there was more to the story and she was going to find out what else had happened.

"Yes, that was nice of him. Is that all he did? I don't think that _thank you_ flowers would make you this flustered." She muses.

"No. He k-issed me." The other woman manages to stammer out.

That almost made Kurenai fall over. The last time she spoke to Sasuke, he had been playing the role of a martyr. Clearly, he did like Hinata. But he didn't seem like he was going to act on his feelings anytime soon, if at all.

Now he was going around and giving her flowers? Sasuke had kissed her? Something must have happened. Something big.

"What did you do when he kissed you?" Kurenai asks once she makes sure no one else was in hearing shot of either of them.

She did this for a few reasons. First of all, Hinata was shy. If someone else overheard that Sasuke had kissed her, that would send the Leaf's Gossip Mill into overdrive and poor Hinata would be mortified. Secondly, she knew Sasuke. More importantly, she knew his temper. He wouldn't react well to the Gossip Mill going into overdrive. So in the interest of public safety, it was important that no one else overheard anything that they were speaking about.

"I kissed back." Hinata answers her and her face turns a brilliant shade of scarlet red.

Oh she kissed back. So Hinata did return his feelings. Kurenai hadn't entirely been sure if that was the case or not. Still that was good news.

"So he likes you and you like him then?" The Genjutsu Mistress asks gently.

Hinata bites her lower lip nervously. She wasn't sure really. Sasuke had given her flowers and he kissed her like he liked her. He kissed her like he liked her a lot actually. It was still all so new though.

The thought that he might like her, had never entered Hinata's mind. The medic had truly believed that she and Sasuke were just friends. Then he had kissed her like a lover. She was confused to put it mildly.

"I think he likes me. I like the way he kisses me. I never thought that he would do that though. We haven't had a chance to talk about it yet." Hinata mumbles.

Oh boy. Kurenai just shakes her head. They might be two very powerful ninjas, but they were still teenagers. Of course, they were going to dance around each other.

She was going to have to help them. Kurenai wasn't sure either of them would really ever take the initiative required for them to start a real relationship at this point. That was okay though. She'd help them.

"Do you want to be with him? If he said that he wanted a real relationship with you, what would you say?" Kurenai asks.

Hinata pauses. She was still in shock. The bluenette hadn't really thought about what was going to happen after they talked.

"I think so. He is a great kisser and once you get to know him, he can be very nice." She says and blushes more.

Kurenai wasn't entirely sure that she was willing to go that far. Very nice wasn't a description she thought was applied to Sasuke Uchiha much. Still she was happy that her student might have found love.

At the very least, Sasuke would notice her. Hinata's last crush hadn't ended with the fairytale romance she had been hoping for. Simply put, Naruto had been too innocent and oblivious. Say what you want about Sasuke, he definitely didn't share those traits with his teammate.

"Alright then. Well I hope this works out for you, but I think we are going to have to buy more than just a kimono in that case." Kurenai says with a smile.

"What else are we buying?" Hinata asks.

Kurenai takes Hinata by the hand, she leads her to another section of the store. The lingerie section. She glances around briefly before showing Hinata something red, lacy, and very, very tiny.

"It's very pretty, but who is that for?" Hinata asks in confusion.

"It's for you. I think Sasuke is fond of red. He isn't stupid. If he sees you in this, he'll get the message." The Genjutsu Mistress says cheerfully.

THUD. Hinata fell on the floor. Thankfully, Kurenai was able to catch at least Hinata's head before it hit the ground. Damn. She probably should have seen that one coming.

"Some things never change." The ruby eyed ninja muses.

Meanwhile back in the hospital, Sasuke sighs as he glances at the clock. He'd be released tomorrow. That's when he'd have to talk to Hinata about everything.

She had kissed back. He honestly hadn't expected that to happen. He knew it was selfish, but he did want to be with her.

"I didn't expect her to do that thing with her legs either." The Uchiha mutters to himself.

Idly, he wonders what would have happened if the Minis hadn't been playing Tag. They had both been caught up in the moment, but Hinata was still Hinata. Sooner or later, her shyness would have taken over. Wouldn't it?

Sasuke just knew that he had to do something. If he hadn't, Hinata would have gone to her Introduction and he probably would have lost it. The idea of someone else kissing her that way, made his Sharingan activate and not in a good way. He probably would have torn the poor dumbfuck's head off who had the nerve to touch her.

"Sasuke, it looks like you are ready to be released tomorrow." Sakura says as she walks into his room.

Sakura. Sakura claimed to love him on more than one occasion. He had just never felt that way about her. At least now, he could respect her skills. He wasn't sure he would call her his friend, but he could tolerate her now.

Sakura was no Hinata though. Sasuke wouldn't go out of his way to seek her out. He couldn't image kissing her like he kissed the Hyuga Heiress or getting jealous if some other man touched her. It was completely different.

"That's good. I'm not going to lie, I was getting a little stir crazy." Sasuke says.

What would Hinata have done if positions were reverse? Would Hinata get jealous of him, if another woman tried to make a pass at him? He didn't know.

"Yeah. I imagine so. How is your arm feeling?" She asks.

"Alright. I think that I can manage to go to Hinata's Introduction." He says.

"Oh that's great! It's nice that you are making an effort to reintegrate into the village." Sakura says with a smile.

Sasuke tries not to smirk. It was a close call though. The only "integration" that he wanted to do was with his Lily. He would fight to protect the Leaf to honor Itachi's wishes. But other than Hinata and Naruto, he honestly didn't care that much. It was hard not to feel bitter about everything that this village had put his family through.

That didn't matter now though. The past was unpleasant and his heart ached for what he knew his younger self was about to go through. The future seemed remarkably brighter though. After all, his older self looked pretty happy. Maybe things would work out somehow.


	11. Chapter 11

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 11

Finally, the day of Sasuke's hospital release dawned. He immediately heads to the Hyuga Estate and decides to seek out his older self. As happy as he was that Hinata had returned his kisses, in hindsight Sasuke realized that he had been reckless.

He had a family in the future and he didn't necessarily know if it was with Hinata. The Uchiha might be altering the timeline in a very big way. So he was going to get some answers out of himself, one way or another.

"Sasuke!" He calls out.

On one level, he felt rather silly. He was literally talking to himself. On the other hand, this was a unique situation. He was actually going to respond to himself. Sasuke would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.

Immediately, he finds himself pinned to the wall. It was disorienting to say the least. The raven haired ninja was now looking into the eyes of himself.

 **"I'm only restraining you because I know that you were thinking about potentially doing something stupid. Remember, I was you once."** He begins.

Damn it. The ruby eyed man was right. His older self did have every advantage. Everything that Sasuke was planning on doing, he had already done. This wasn't fair.

"If that's true, then you know what I'm going to ask. This time you are going to give me some answers. Unless you want to risk altering the timeline irreparably, you had better start talking." Sasuke hisses at him.

The eldest Sasuke felt himself smirk. It was nice to see that he still had his fighting spirit, even in the past. Still he had been a brat at that age. A brat who was still going to challenge a clearly superior opponent. It was time to explain a few things to his younger self.

 **"This is one fight that you wouldn't be able to win. I'm you, but with ten years of training that you simply don't have. The difference between me and you, is comparable to the difference between you and Mini Sasuke."** He warns him.

"Uh huh. Well any hit you throw at me, you are throwing at yourself." Sasuke reasons.

The oldest Uchiha sighs. Well that was a good point. This was going to get annoying and fast. Now he felt a flash of sympathy for his own older counterpart. Ten years ago, he had been standing in the Middle Sasuke's place. It was a surreal experience to be on the other side of the conversation.

 **"You're worried about altering the timeline. In this case you don't have to be. I'd be more upset if you weren't trying to court her. We came through the mirror together and we are going to leave together. She's my, well our, wife."** He says.

"Oh. Good." Sasuke says as he tries to process that.

He had only just starting dating her and they were already married? That was a lot to wrap his head around. He smiles though. Well at least they weren't going to screw up the future.

 **"Four and potentially counting. Don't let any of our Hinatas know that I told you."** His older self says.

"Four what?" Sasuke asks in confusion.

 **"Four princes and princesses."** The raven haired ninja answers him smugly and Sasuke blinks.

Ohhh. That's what he meant. He and Hinata had four children in the future and might have more. Four was a good baseline for a Clan Revival. He could work with four.

"Are they all healthy?" The younger Sasuke asks, wondering just how much information he could get out of his older self.

 **"I really shouldn't have even told you that much, but I guess I'll answer that question. After that, that's it. I don't want to meddle more than I already have. Yes, their all healthy."** He answers.

Sasuke sighs in relief. That was good to hear. They were healthy, that's what mattered most.

He didn't really need to know the gender combinations. He had always assumed he'd have at least one son and one daughter just out of the laws of probability.Idly, he wonders if Hinata had a preference though.

"You're annoying. You could have saved us all a lot of trouble just telling us that in the first place!" Sasuke growls at him.

 **"You do realize that you just called yourself annoying, right? When you insult me, you are also insulting yourself. Oh and don't give me that dirty look. I would have liked to tell you sooner, but we couldn't risk changing the future."** The Uchiha Patriarch informs him.

Sasuke grumbles. That was a good point. Still he couldn't help but be a little miffed at being kept in the dark.

"I understand. Anyway, thanks. Now at least I know we have a healthy family in the future. What do they look like?" Sasuke asks.

 **"Sasuke, you are pushing it. I can't tell you anything else. Come on. Let's get you ready for her Introduction. Try not to kill anyone that flirts with her. She'll be wearing a very expensive kimono and Hiashi would probably kill you, if you got blood on it."** Sasuke chides him gently as he leads his younger self off to go find him a suitable male dress kimono.

Elsewhere in the Hyuga Estate, Hiashi raises an eyebrow. Hmm what was Kurenai doing here, with Hinata? He distinctly heard giggling as they walked towards his eldest daughter's room.

"You two seem to be having a good time." He muses as he approaches them.

"Of course. Forgive my sudden intrusion, I was just helping Hinata prepare for her Introduction." Kurenai says with a smile.

Oh that was what was going on. That made sense. Women tended to take such matters very seriously and bond over trivial things such as choosing kimonos together. The Hyuga Patriarch just filed that under the long list of things that he would never understand about women.

"Ah I see. Well I'm certain that the two of you picked out a rather lovely kimono." He says with a smile.

He was both proud and terrified. Hiashi was proud that his daughter had grown into such a beautiful young women. She was also strong and kind. It was because of those facts that he was terrified. Hinata was about to have a lot of potential suitors. It was every father's nightmare.

"Yes." Hinata replies cheerfully.

Of course, he would just have to chakra block them, if their hands wandered too much while they were dancing. That was just a given. Hopefully, the men at the Introduction would conduct themselves properly though.

"It is quite lovely. Well I should get going. It was good to see you again, Hinata. I hope you have a wonderful time at your Introduction." Kurenai states as she embraces Hinata lightly before heading towards the door.

"I will. Thank you, Kurenai Sensei." The Hyuga Heiress says she watches her instructor depart.

"Do you need anything for your Introduction?" Hiashi asks.

Hinata shakes her head. She was pretty sure that she had everything that she could ever need. She had her kimono, sandals, hair pieces, makeup, and even Kutenai's "gift." Naturally, she wasn't going to tell her father about that last parta.

"No. I think I have everything." Hinata assures him.

"Good. Well if you change your mind, do let me know. This night will be very important. It could have a great impact on your future." Her father muses.

Her future. Oh no! Hinata mentally curses herself for not thinking of this before. She had kissed Sasuke without knowing what the consequences were. What if she and Sasuke had inadvertently completely changed the timeline?!

"I know and I promise that I will let you know." The Hyuga Heiress promises.

"Good. I shall leave you to prepare then." Hiashi says and he kisses Hinata's head before he slips off.

Hinata was grateful when her father left. She wasn't entirely sure that she would be able to keep her growing sense of panic off her face. Hiashi would want to know what was wrong, if he saw her look startled and she couldn't really tell him the truth at the moment. Nor could she lie to her own father.

"I need to talk with my older self." She mumbles before racing off to do exactly that.

Elsewhere, Kurenai was walking towards her home. That's when she felt a very familiar chakra signature. Kakashi. Kakashi was nearby.

"I know you're following me. You aren't nearly as stealthy as you used to be. I think you may be getting old." She teases him.

"I wasn't exactly trying to be sneaky and I resent that. I am not old." Kakashi muses as he appears behind her.

She knew that wasn't accurate. Still she couldn't resist teasing him. It was a cheap shot, but she was going to take it.

"If you aren't old, why is your hair completely gray?" She asks with a giggle.

Kakashi places his hand over his heart as if she had mortally wounded him. It wasn't a joke that he hadn't heard thousands of times before in his life. Still the woman was very good at delivering a line.

"I'll have you know that my hair has always been this color, even as a baby. It has absolutely nothing to do with getting old and you know that." He says.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. Well I do have good news about our favorite pair of nervous teenagers." She muses.

The CopyCat Ninja raises an eyebrow. He was pretty sure that Kurenai was referring to Sasuke and Hinata. He couldn't help but wonder what the Genjutsu Mistress had found out about them.

"What's the good news?" He asks.

"Sasuke apparently made a move. He kissed her." Kurenai explains and the other Jonin blinks in surprise.

He hadn't expected that to happen for awhile. Granted, it was almost a given that Sasuke would make the first move. Hinata was just so shy. Still his former student definitely had cold feet when it came to approaching the Hyuga woman.

"Really? I didn't think that he would do such a thing for awhile. How did that go?" The silver haired man inquires.

Well the village was still in one piece. So he consoles himself with the fact that it couldn't have gone that badly. He just really hoped that Hinata hadn't rejected Sasuke. The man had never actually liked anyone before. He might not handle rejection well.

"She kissed him back. I think she likes him, but she's shy. So I gave her a gentle push while we were out shopping for her dress kimono for her Introduction." The ruby eyed woman explains.

"What did this helpful push consist of?" The Leaf Ninja questions her curiously.

"Oh that's girl talk. I can't tell you that." Kurenai informs Kakashi with a straight face.

The CopyCat Ninja merely shakes his head in amusement. Honestly, he should have seen that one coming. Women did seem to enjoy keeping men guessing.

"Very well. I hope whatever you said was helpful though. Neither of them have very much experience when it comes to romance." Kakashi observes and Kurenai nods in agreement.

She just hoped that this would work out. Hinata was extremely shy. Being "rejected" twice would be utterly devastating to her. That and she wasn't entirely certain how Sasuke would react, if things went badly.

"I believe it will be very helpful." She says.

If all else failed, there were a few things that were almost universal when it came to dealing with straight men. One of these was that they generally adored when their lovers wore sexy lingerie from them. Somehow, she doubted that Sasuke was an exception in this regard. He might be an Uchiha, but he was still a teenage boy. It was just biology really.

At that same time, the eldest Hinata smiles as she reads Mini Sasuke and Mini Hinata a story. Sasuke really was adorable as a small child. It was hard to believe that this bubble eyed boy would one day grow up to be a man who could level mountains.

 **"And then they lived happily ever after."** She finishes.

That's when she looked up and saw her younger self standing in the doorway. Uh oh. It looked like it was time to fess up.

 _"That was a good story."_ Mini Hinata says.

 _"Yeah. What happens after ever after though? All the stories end that way."_ Sasuke asks.

Hinata laughs. They really were too cute. Still she was going to have to get them to bed as soon as possible. She knew that her younger self would be in no mood to wait around.

 **"Let me get them to bed and then we can talk."** She assures the middle Hinata.

Hinata nods. Well she supposed she could wait a few minutes. She mentally sighs and braces herself for what was to come. The bluenete was going to find out whether it was worth pursuing a relationship with Sasuke. They might be meddling with the timeline and no matter how much she enjoyed her kisses, they couldn't do that.

The eldest Hinata smiles and takes the Minis to bed. It was cute, how they would walk so close together. Maybe if the Massacre hadn't happened, she and Sasuke would have noticed each other sooner.

 _"Do you think there will be princes and princesses at the party?"_ Hinata asks.

 _"I think so. I mean it's a ball, isn't it? I know it's called an Introduction, but really that's what it is. I'm sure there will be lots of princes and princesses."_ Sasuke answers her.

Hinata just shakes her head. They really were too cute. It was hard to believe that either of them had ever been that innocent. It reminded Hinata of their children in the future. Her heart suddenly ached with the desire to get back to them. It was always there of course, but it was made bearable by the fact that she knew they'd return home soon enough.

 _"Oh that's good. Do you know how to dance? I bet there will be lots of dancing."_ Hinata continues.

 _"A little. I saw my mother and father do it a few times. Mother seems to like dancing. Father indulges her."_ The raven haired boy replies.

 **"Alright. It's time for both of you to go to bed."** Hinata says as she tucks them in for the night and then goes to find her younger self.

Hinata bites her lower lip as she and the other Hinata head back to her room. Truthfully, she had no idea how she was even going to ask about any of this. She just knew that she had to.

 **"There's no need to be so nervous. I already know what is on your mind. I am you, remember? I've been through everything that you are going through now."** The bluenette says kindly and Hinata breathes out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. At least the other woman knew what she wanted to say. That was a damn good thing because she found herself suddenly tongue-tied. The significance of this moment wasn't lost on her. This could change everything.

"Good. If S-asuke and I are together, will that alter the future somehow?" She stammers out nervously.

 **"No. It won't. You'd be altering the future, if you didn't get together actually. I wanted to tell you everything for such a long time. I just knew that I couldn't. I understand that everything has been very confusing for you and I did want to help, it's just I couldn't risk it."** The eldest Hinata apologizes.

Hinata blinks. She could understand why the other woman had done it. It was still really irritating though. She had been worried for nothing.

"So in the future, we are still…together then?" She asks.

 **"Yes. I don't want to tell you anymore than that for obvious reasons though."** Hinata replies.

Now it all made sense. It made sense why Sasuke had said that he was closer to her than Naruto. Oh and the biting comment. Hinata feels her face heat up when she realizes EXACTLY what the older Sasuke had been trying to imply.

"He likes to bite, doesn't he?" Hinata asks shyly.

 **"He doesn't really bite. Sasuke does occasionally nip though."** Her older self admits and suddenly her own cheeks were red.

In what seemed like no time at all, it was time for her Introduction. Hinata was nervously standing at the top of the stairs with her father. There must have been at least a thousand people, if not more inside the Hyuga Estate waiting to greet them down below.

"Don't be nervous. You look beautiful." Hiashi assures his daughter.

Hinata smiles and nods. She walks side by side with her father down the long spiraled staircase. She could feel every pair of eyes on her room and the bluenette mentally gulps. So much for not being nervous.

Meanwhile on the ground floor, Sasuke glances up at Hinata. She was stunning. His future wife was wearing a feminine purple kimono with a pink sash and intricate floral spiral designs on it.

It reached to a few inches below her knees, but that was still more of her lovely legs than he had ever seen before. He was shocked that Hiashi had allowed her to wear it, when Sasuke realized that the kimono was accenting her rather generous curves and had a lower neckline than she normally wore.

"Looks like Hinata is ready for her Introduction." Naruto muses happily.

Sasuke could only nod in agreement. Her hair was up. It was done in an elegant bun with two long bangs framing her face. Sasuke took that as a challenge really. He was going to find a way to undo it at some point. She was also wearing a diamond bracelet and a sapphire necklace. He couldn't get a good enough look to tell for certain, but he was almost positive that a matching pair of sapphire earrings might be on her ears.

"Yeah. She's ready." Sasuke agrees as Hinata and Hiashi make to the ground floor.

"ATTENTION! We are gathered here today to celebrate the Introduction of Hinata Hyuga. Please conduct yourselves respectfully and with dignity as the Introduction event has been a tradition within the Hyuga Clan for centuries. Yes, that means you as well Naruto." One of the Hyuga men says into a microphone.

Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. He wasn't really sure why he was being singled out. That seemed a little unfair.

"I didn't do anything!" He protests.

"YET!" Everyone choruses together and then laughter roars throughout the room.

Hinata glances at Sasuke. She hoped he wouldn't get too upset that she had to dance with other people. It was expected really.

The bluenette tries to sneak her way over to him, only to be stopped by another ninja. She had seen him around the village, but his name escaped her at the moment. Still it was only polite to humor him.

"May I have the honor of this dance, My Lady?" He asks.

"You may." Hinata says as she casts an apologetic look at the raven haired ninja behind them and allows herself to be escorted to the dance floor.

Sasuke saw that. He felt his eyes bleed red. He told himself that he was being ridiculous. Hinata had to dance with other people. It was her Introduction. Unless they wanted to cause a scene by announcing their relationship, he would have to tolerate it.

"You are a very good dancer." The ninja says as he twirls her around.

"Thank you. That's very kind of you to say." Hinata replies as she offers him a polite smile.

Idly, she wonders if how many other people she would have to dance with, before she could stop doing so. She didn't want to seem rude, but she also didn't want to test Sasuke's patience. So far he was behaving himself. Hinata didn't know how long that would last though.

From what she knew of Sasuke's family, they were rather possessive lovers. She had once heard a story about how Fugaku had nearly burned a man alive for behaving "inappropriately" towards his wife. The bluenette wasn't exactly sure what constituted inappropriately in Sasuke's father's mind, but she doubted whatever he had done was worth being burned alive over.

"Though your mind seems to be a million miles away. It's to be expected, I suppose. This must all be rather overwhelming." Her dancing partner offers.

"Yes, I'm sorry. This is all just…well as you said, overwhelming. Forgive me." She mumbles.

"There is absolutely nothing to forgive." He says and continues dancing with her.

Sasuke watches as Hinata dances with more and more men. He had lost count after 13. Unfortunately, it would likely hit 30 at this rate and even then she would have only danced with about 10% of those that came.

"Whoa bastard. You might want to lower your Death Glare a few notches. I think you are going to set them on fire, if you keep that up." Naruto muses.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sasuke lies.

He sighs. Great. Now Naruto knew that he was jealous. All he could do was deny it and hope that the blonde would buy it. That didn't seem likely, but he had to do something.

"Right. You totally aren't glaring daggers at everyone she's dancing with." His best friend says.

"That's right. I'm not. I'm just making sure that they don't do something stupid. Hiashi would kill them and we both know it." The raven haired man says.

"Uh huh. Of course. You are just looking out for their safety. That's it." Naruto replies and Sasuke nods.

It was a flimsy excuse. Unfortunately, it was the best that he could come up on short notice. It was also rather hard to think rationally, when he was itching to grab his sword and chase them off.

Jealousy was a new feeling for Sasuke. He didn't care for it much. It was annoying. Why couldn't things be easier?

"That's right. Well at least the Minis and our older selves are staying out of sight. Otherwise this evening would have ended in a complete disaster." Sasuke mutters as he imagines all the horrific scenarios that would have resulted from their appearance.

"You got that right. It must get confusing. I mean I know you call the younger set the Minis, but what about the older set?" The other ninja inquires.

"We just kinda learned how to distinguish between ourselves and them by context clues. Usually whoever wants us, will be looking at us and not them or vice versa." Sasuke explains and Naruto nods in understanding.

After what seemed like an eternity, Hinata makes her way over to Sasuke. Her feet were killing her from all that dancing, but that didn't matter. She needed to let him know that they weren't risking altering the future and he did deserve his dance.

"I see you saved the best for last." He whispers in her ear.

"You could say that." Hinata agrees and she smiles as she wraps her arms around his neck.

Sasuke smirks. He was also gratified to see that she was wearing one of the white lilies in her hair. How he hadn't noticed that earlier, he didn't know. It didn't matter though. It was a good sign.

"So I have been thinking about all of us. You know, them and us. I realized that I might have altered the future by kissing you. So I went and talked to my older self. I finally got some answers out of him." Sasuke says as he wraps his arms around her waist and the two begin to sway to the music.

Hinata blinks. It looked like Sasuke had the same thought that she did. She didn't know why this surprised her. He was smart. Surely, he would realize the potential implications of his actions sooner or later and he would act on it.

"What did he say?" Hinata asks nervously.

"Well he said a lot actually. I think that he might feel guilty about leaving us all in the dark for so long, but I suppose it can't be help. Basically, we don't need to worry about changing the timeline by being together." Sasuke informs her.

Hinata sighs in relief. She had heard her future self say that of course. Still it was nice to see that future Sasuke was backing up what she had said. (Well what she WOULD say, anyway.)

"I have a confession to make. I talked to my older self and she said something similar." Hinata mumbles.

"In that case, it looks like we are matching set." Sasuke says as he places a chaste kiss to her forehead, when he was sure that no one was looking.

Hinata couldn't believe that she was about to do this, but she was going to. If they really were still going to be together in ten years, there was no reason to be shy. She couldn't imagine they'd be involved for ten years and never be intimate with each other.

"We aren't the only matching set that I have." Hinata whispers and Sasuke raises an eyebrow.

He didn't understand what she was trying say. The way she mumbled it so quickly and was blushing though, told Sasuke that he had missed out on something big. So he had to ask.

"What are you talking about? What other matching set do you have?" The raven haired ninja inquires.

"A lingerie set. Kurenai Sensei helped me pick it out." She admits and very subtlety displays a red lacy, bra strap.

She was sure that one else saw it. Her back was towards the crowd and she only showed it for half a second. It was long enough though. Sasuke definitely saw it.

"I don't really know her that well, but I have ALWAYS said that she was the most normal one out of all our instructors. Remind me to send her a gift basket for Christmas or something." Sasuke says with a smirk and Hinata blushes, but nods.

"I'll remind you." She promises and the two begin dancing.

Hinata couldn't believe she had actually done that. She had never imagined she'd be bold enough to say something like that. Maybe there were some perks to having your future selves show up, after all.


	12. Chapter 12

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. They really are helpful when it comes to keeping the story flowing. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

 **Chapter Notation:** There is a brief silly scene in this chapter where Sasuke discusses Kurenai's gift for Hinata. I have put up warnings before and afterwards. So you can skip it with ease, if you want.

Chapter 12

 _"Grownups never let us do anything fun."_ Sasuke grumbles as he jumps on the bed with Hinata.

 _"I thought we were going to get to go to the Introduction, but I guess not."_ She pouts as she jumps up and down with Sasuke.

Well if they couldn't go to the ball like in the stories, they would just have their own fun. No one was paying attention to them at the moment. So jumping on the bed seemed like a grand idea.

 _"They say that we can't risk being seen. It will mess up the timeline. I don't think that's right. Your family has seen us for weeks and nothing bad has happened."_ Sasuke reasons as he jumps up and down faster.

Hinata nods as she considers this. Yeah. Maybe it would be safe to go down. Well at the very least, they could sneak a peek. Surely, that wouldn't hurt anything right?

 _"Do you want to go try and look? We can probably manage that without getting caught."_ The bluenette suggests as she does a roll in the air.

Sasuke blinks. He would never understand how Hyugas were that flexible. The human body really shouldn't be able to bend that way. It must be a Hyuga thing, he decides. He'd never seen anyone move like them before.

 _"Yeah. Let's go look."_ Sasuke says as he bounds off the bed.

When Hinata was about to do the same, he caught her. Sasuke felt rather proud of himself for being able to do that, just like how they did it in the movies sometimes. He smiles and sets the Hyuga Princess down though.

 _"Alright. We have to be really careful though. There are a lot of people. We don't want to be seen. If they see us, we'll be in BIG trouble."_ The Hyuga girl warns him and Sasuke nods.

 _"Yeah. You're right. Let's just say it's stealth practice. Ninjas have to be stealthy. That's what Itachi is always telling me anyway."_ Sasuke says as they head towards the stairs.

Hinata nods in agreement. Yeah. Her father said that a lot as well. If they were going to do this, they had to not get caught. That was the most important thing.

With that in mind, the two children reach the stairs and look down. The future ninjas stare down in awe. There were so many people and so much food. The entire place was beautiful. It was like something straight out of a fairytale.

 _"Your family sure knows how to throw a party."_ Sasuke says.

 _"Thanks. Introductions really important to us. So we go all out. I've never actually been allowed to attend one before though. I'm too little."_ Hinata mumbles.

Sasuke shakes his head in disapproval. He had heard that excuse a lot too. Why did big people always think that kids couldn't handle anything? They weren't babies!

 _"I don't think you're too little. You can do anything you want. Let's go join them."_ Sasuke says brightly.

At that moment, the eldest Sasuke and Hinata sigh. Both of them had suspected that the Minis would try to get into some mischief. Obviously, they had been hoping they were wrong. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

 **"It's not because the two of you are too little. It is because we don't want to alter the timeline."** Sasuke says.

Mini Sasuke pouts and grumbles when his older self scoops him up. He clearly wasn't too happy about having their plans interrupted. It wasn't fair really. They shouldn't have to hide!

 **"Come on, Hinata. Be a good girl. Let's get the two of you to bed. I can tell you both another story, if you like."** Hinata suggests.

 _"Alright. We were just cu-rious."_ The small girl mumbles.

Hinata shakes her head and picks up the little girl in her arms. She knew that this had to be really confusing and frustrating for the children. Still it had to be done. They couldn't allow the future to be changed.

 **"I know and that's only natural. Don't worry. We aren't mad at you two."** She says as she and Sasuke carry the Minis back to their rooms.

The parents quickly put the children to bed and Hinata begins telling them a story. Sasuke smiles as he stands in the corner. It was almost like home really. They often helped their children get settled in for the night in just this way.

 **"Once upon a time…"** The Uchiha Matriarch begins to tell her tale and the children were watching her intently.

He really missed home. Hopefully, his younger self had made his confession. Once he and Hinata had put the Minis to sleep, they would have to find a way to sneak a peak to ensure everything was still on track. With any luck, everything would be and they would be able to go home soon.

Soon enough the children fell asleep and Hinata smiles. She then makes her way over to her husband and kisses his cheek. After that she leaves the room and beckons for him to follow her.

 **"Do you see them?"** Sasuke asks once they were standing back at the top of the stairs.

 **"I see them. I think I just told you about the lingerie Kurenai got me because I saw her adjusting her kimono."** Hinata muses.

 **"I really liked that one by the way. I never would have thought you the type to wear red lingerie. Lace, I expected though."** Sasuke informs her.

Hinata raises an eyebrow. First, he fancied himself an expert on floral symbolism and now he was trying to imply their was a psychology to lingerie choices? Sasuke really missed his calling as a psychologist.

 **"And why did the red surprise you?"** She asks.

Sasuke's mind was an interesting place to say the least. He might be fairly quiet by nature, but he overanalyzed everything. There was no detail that wasn't too trivial to capture her husband's attention. So she was almost afraid to ask, but she did so anyway. Curiosity could be quite a powerful force.

 **Warning Silly Discussion**

Sasuke pauses. It was clear he was debating about whether or not he should answer that question. Naturally, this just perked Hinata's interest even more. She nods at him encouragingly and he proceeds with answering her question.

 **"Well red is mostly the color of aggression and passion. You've always been rather gentle and shy. It was a good surprise though. It looked fantastic on you."** Her husband explains quickly.

Hinata blinks. She supposed that was true. She didn't know whether to be touched or slightly disturbed by the amount of thought that Sasuke apparently put into this.

 **"I see and why weren't you surprised by lace?"** She asks.

 **"It's a bit of a shy fabric. Very submissive and eager to please. More or less it's like putting a Take Me sign on your back."** He explains as if this was all perfectly logical.

 **"You, my love, have been spending far too much time around Kakashi."** Hinata observes with a giggle as she glances down at their younger selves dancing.

Sasuke shakes his head. That wasn't Kakashi's influence. That was just what happened when you were with someone for ten years. You tended to notice patterns. He wasn't a deviant. Sasuke was just very aware of his surroundings. Well in this case, his wife.

 **"That wasn't Kakashi's influence. That was all my own observations."** He insists.

Sasuke was the type of person who strove for accuracy. That hadn't been Kakashi's influence and he was going to make sure that his wife knew that. Besides, when would he have had time?

He had a beautiful wife, four children, a job, and Naruto to keep him busy. Kakashi was generally either performing his ninja duties or with Kurenai. It wasn't as if they saw each other that often and when they did, Sasuke sure as Hell wasn't going to tell the silver haired ninja anything about his sex life.

 **End of Silly Discussion**

The present Sasuke and Hinata were unaware that they were being watched. They only had eyes for each other at the moment. Hinata was too memorized by the sight of his ruby red eyes looking at her with such intensity that she forgot how sore her feet were.

"It's late. I think we could get away with sneaking off now. You must have danced with thirty guys. I can't imagine they'd expect you to dance with the other 270." Sasuke says as he spins his dancing partner.

"You're right. It is late. We could probably sneak away. Wait. Thirty guys and 270 left? Did you actually count?" Hinata asks incredulously.

Sasuke nods. Of course he counted. What else was he going to do? Well he had a few things that he would have LOVED to have done, but Hinata never would have forgiven him if he committed mass murder on the night of her Introduction. So he had kept his temper in check and counted all the potential suitors while he bickered with Naruto.

"Yes, I counted. What else was I going to do?" He asks as he leads her out of the crowded room and up the stairs.

Once they made their way up the stairs, the Middle Sasuke and Hinata blinked at their older selves. Clearly, they had been spying on them. None of them really knew how to react to that, except for the present day Hinata.

"How long were you watching us?!" Hinata demands.

 **"Not that long. It seems the Minis were going to crash the party. So we stopped them and wanted to see how the two of you were doing. Really, we were just checking to ensure the timeline was proceeding as it was supposed to."** Sasuke says.

The other Sasuke smacks his forehead. He didn't even know how he was supposed to react to this. He just knew that he was expected to say something.

"Don't make a habit out of spying on us. Try not to get caught. It's late. Let's call it a night and we can all discuss this in the morning." The raven haired ninja suggests.

The eldest set agree to that proposal and head off. Present day Sasuke just shakes his head and gestures for Hinata to follow him. He was relieved when she did and a few minutes later, they were inside her room.

"Ah!" Hinata cries out as she stumbles her way back onto the bed.

"You alright?" Sasuke asks in concern as he sits down on the bed with her.

"Yeah. I think so. Just too much dancing, I guess. I like dancing, but that many in a row isn't fun." She mumbles.

Sasuke shakes his head. That was understandable. Why they would put people through such torture was beyond him. He was glad that he didn't have to worry about being polite to anyone but he.

With that thought in mind, he slides off her shoes. Sasuke had never actually done this before, but he it couldn't be that hard. He slides his hands up and down the length of her feet.

"There does that feel any better?" He asks.

"M-uch better." Hinata says as she enjoys the gentle massage.

It was strange. That would have been the last word she would have associated with Sasuke Uchiha even a few months ago. It was surreal how much things had changed since before their counterparts showed up.

"Good. I told you that I would take care of you and I meant it." He says as he leans over and kisses her softly.

Hinata smiles and returns the kiss. It was easy to forget about the pain while she was kissing him and he continued bestowing upon her some soothing caresses. Maybe he would be a good medic after all. He was surprisingly good at massages.

"Yes, you did. How are we going to tell my father though? I'm not really sure how he would react. You three have been living with us for awhile, but that's a little different than the two of us being together." The bluenette inquires cautiously.

Sasuke frowns. That was a good point. He highly doubted that Hiashi Hyuga was going to be pleased when he found out that they were courting. Still he was going to find out one way or another. Putting it off would only make things worse in the long run.

"In the morning, we'll speak with our older selves. They might know what to do. After all, I doubt that we have managed to keep our relationship a secret for a decade from him." The raven haired ninja reasons and Hinata nods in agreement.

"That sounds like a good idea." Hinata says.

"I thought so. Can I see the rest of it?" Sasuke asks hopefully.,

Hinata tilts her head. She wasn't really sure what he meant. This was Sasuke though. So almost anything was possible really.

"Can you see the rest of what?" The bluenette inquires in a baffled fashion.

"The rest of the lingerie set. You showed me a strap. It was a nice strap, but I'm curious to see what the rest of it looks like." The other ninja answers.

Normally, he wouldn't have asked that. Until very recently, women had been an afterthought. Eventually, he always knew that he'd get married and have children. He just hadn't spent much time on pondering how he was going to get a woman to agree to marry him.

He was no Kakashi or Naruto. Sasuke wasn't as innocent as his best friend, but he wasn't as direct as his former teacher. So he had never dreamed that he would actually be asking a woman that on the first date. (Did this even count as a date, he wondered.)

"Oh. You w-ant to see the rest of what Kurenai Sensei g-ot me." She stammers.

"Well yeah. It's alright though. You don't have to. I just thought I'd ask because you did show me part of it. Nevermind. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. That was stupid of me to ask." Sasuke says.

Apparently, they were going to be together in the future. According to his future self, he and Hinata were married with children. So at some point, he was confident that he'd see her in her lingerie and without it. There was really no need to push and make her nervous.

"No. It's al-right. You're right. It's just no one's ever asked me that before, but I guess it's not that much more revealing than a swimsuit." She mumbles with a blush.

Sasuke blinks. He hadn't expected her to say yes. It was a shy yes, but still a yes.

"Really?" The Uchiha asks in a stunned voice.

"Well Kurenai Sensei was nice enough to buy it for me. Well me and you. It would be very rude not to use her gift. There's not much of a point in wearing something like this, if you aren't modeling for someone else." The Hyuga Heiress whispers.

He couldn't argue with that logic. Not that he wanted to. Sasuke was still amazed that his innocent princess would actually consents to put on a bit of a show for him.

By her standards, this had to be fairly scandalous. He was touched in a way. She was really coming out of her shell for him in a big way.

"That's true." He says and nods his head vigorously.

"That and this kimono is a bit uncomfortable after wearing it all night. It's beautiful but it isn't the most comfortable thing to wear." Hinata says as she gets off the bed and reaches for her zipper.

Sasuke sits behind her and grabs it for her. That looked like it was going to be annoying. No damn zipper was going to stop him from seeing a half naked princess.

"Here, let me get it." He whispers seductively into her ear as he slowly slides it down.

Of course, his natural impulse was to yank that gorgeous kimono off her as soon as possible. He didn't want to scare her though. Hinata was already nervous. If he acted like an animal, she would definitely bolt.

Sasuke didn't want that to happen, so he tried to control himself. It was hard though. Really, really hard.

"Who knew that you were such a gentleman? That was kind of you to help me out of my kimono." Hinata asks with a giggle.

"Believe me, any time that you need help getting out of your clothes, I am more than happy to be of service." Sasuke promises her.

Hinata blushes and remembers back to the hospital kiss. The last Uchiha probably was completely serious when he said that. She couldn't help but wonder how much further he would have gone, if the Minis hadn't interrupted them.

"That's good to know. That's very gallant of you." The Hyuga woman observes with great amusement.

"Yes, I quite thought so." Sasuke says as he watches Hinata slide out of her kimono.

Red lace. The lingerie set was made out of red lace. Sasuke had to privately applaud whoever had designed that bra. Somehow it defied gravity. How did it manage to keep her ample bosom up, when it looked so fragile. Seriously, that bra looked more like it was painted on her than made out of actual fabric.

"And to think people used to be scared of you. If they only knew how nice and helpful you could be, they would change their minds." Hinata says and surprises herself by turning around and kissing him.

Sasuke smirks and returns the kiss. Suddenly, he was rather grateful that he had locked the door behind them. He didn't want anyone to walk in on them and interrupt his view and his enjoyment of her kisses.

His eyes made the mistake of glancing down. He could see her toned stomach and womanly curves that fanned out into wide hips and a shapely backside. A backside that was barely covered by what he assumed was supposed to be a thong, but was too small in his mind to really qualify as one.

"I don't mind if they are scared of me. The only person's opinion who really matters to me, is you." He tells her after breaking the kiss.

Whatever it was, Sasuke really liked it. It framed her creamy thighs perfectly. He was pretty sure if he tugged on it once, it would come off. That thought made his eyes match the skimpy lingerie that she was wearing.

"I'm not sure whether to find that sweet or sad. Sasuke, it's okay to let people in and make more friends." Hinata tells him.

"I'll think about it." He tells her and playfully pins her to the bed.

He knew that was a gamble, but she was just so irresistible at the moment. Sasuke smiles when he realizes that Hinata wasn't protesting. Blushing as red as a tomato, yes. Protesting, no.

"Good. I want you to be happy." She whispers and caresses his cheek.

His pin wasn't very firm. Hinata knew that wasn't by accident. Pounce Mode might have been imitated, but it was a request. Not a command.

"Trust me, I'm VERY happy right now." Sasuke informs her and kisses her once more.

There was something very exciting about having her underneath him. Their bodies somehow lined up perfectly. Hers was all wonderfully soft and warm curves. His was hard and flat from years of training. Yet, somehow they just fit together like two pieces of some long forgotten puzzle.

Hinata smiles and kisses back. Well it was a start. Sasuke might not be the most social person now, but apparently she would have years to help him become more friendly towards others. Right now, she was content just to enjoy his kisses.

"Mmm you still taste like cinnamon candy." She whispers after breaking the kiss.

"And you still taste like honey." He informs her before leaving a trail of kisses along her neck.

Hinata giggles and squirms against him. Sasuke smirks. Ah ha. So she was ticklish there. Well that was an interesting discovery. He was just about to see if she'd let him fluff her pillows, when he heard footsteps coming towards them from the hall.

"Father!" She whispers to him and Sasuke jumps off her, quickly darting into the closet.

He had every intention of telling Hiashi Hyuga that he was courting his daughter. Sasuke just didn't think doing so after he stumbled upon them making out with Hinata clad in only her lingerie was the best way to go about that. He bites his lower lip and hopes that the Hyuga Patriarch would leave quickly. He didn't want to get caught.

Hinata quickly pulls the blankets over her. Luckily, she managed to do so just before Hiashi walked inside. He smiles when he sees her.

"Ah there you are. I noticed that you seemed to have wandered off. Though I suppose it is late and dancing that many times must have been exhausting, even for a skilled ninja such as yourself. Did you enjoy your Introduction?" He asks.

"Yes, I'm sorry father. I didn't mean to worry you. I was just so tired. I must have danced with at least thirty men. I enjoyed it very much." Hinata assures him.

More specifically, she had been enjoying her introduction to Sasuke's tongue. However, the Hyuga Princess knew better than to say that to her very much prim and proper father. Hinata couldn't even believe what had been doing with the last Uchiha only minutes before. She definitely didn't think her father would.

"Good. I'm glad. Did you meet anyone nice?" He asks tactfully.

"Everyone was very nice. It was a beautiful celebration. Thank you, father." The bluenette answers invasively.

Sasuke watches from the "safety" of his closet. So far, so good. Maybe Hiashi would leave without a disaster striking. He could only hope.

"That's good. Well I'll let you get some rest. Good night, daughter." He says and kisses her forehead, before departing.

Once he was out of earshot, Sasuke slinks out of the closet. He breathes a sigh of relief. That had been a close one.

"That was close." Hinata whispers.

"Too close. We are definitely going to have to talk to our older selves in the morning. He'll find out soon. It's only a matter of time." Sasuke tells her.

Hinata nods in agreement. Sasuke was right. That and she didn't like keeping secrets from her father. She wasn't ashamed of her new relationship. Sasuke might have done some bad things in the past, but he wasn't bad now.

He hadn't ever been really. It was just that he had done the wrong things, for what he perceived as being the right reasons. Besides, who could ever think he was evil once they met Mini Sasuke? Those bubble eyes were adorable.

"Maybe you should go back to your room, just to be on the safe side. We don't want to get caught until we figure out what we are going to tell him." Hinata mumbles.

"You're right. I'll see you in the morning. I really do like it by the way." Sasuke informs her as he kisses her and sneaks in a gentle caress to her backside.

Hinata returns the kiss and blushes when she feels where his hands were. Sasuke wasn't shy. That much was for damn sure. Then again, he knew that they were going to be together in the future. That probably also played a role in his boldness.

"I'm glad you like it. I guess you like playing D-ress up a lot more now, huh?" She asks with a quiet laugh.

"Oh yeah. I'm suddenly a whole lot more fond of that concept. Though I think Dress Down will be even more fun." Sasuke tells her before darting off.

Hinata blinks. She couldn't believe that he had just said that. Well she could and she couldn't. who would have thought even a few months ago that she would be dating Sasuke Uchiha and that he would have a sense of humor?


	13. Chapter 13

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 13

In the morning, Sasuke and Hinata find their older counterparts. The two of them were possibly the only people on Earth who would know how to deal with Hiashi Hyuga in this situation. So it was imperative to get advice from them.

"How did you tell father that you and Sasuke were together?" Hinata asks shyly.

 **"Well Sasuke was rather blunt."** Hinata says with a giggle.

Hinata gulps. Blunt? Uh oh. Blunt could mean a million different things and she doubted most of them were good. She just hoped that Sasuke's bluntness didn't end in disaster.

"What did he say to my father?" The bluenette asks nervously.

The elder Hinata looks at her husband. She wasn't entirely certain she should be the one to tell Hinata and Sasuke that. It was after all, his story to tell. (And what a story it was!)

 **"My older counterpart may have informed him that we were going to be married in the future with children. So if he tried to stop us from being together, he was really attempting to murder his own grandchildren in a way. He was much more reasonable after that point."** Sasuke says with a smirk.

Hinata looked like she was close to fainting. Luckily, Sasuke gets behind her just in time. He wasn't going to have her fall and hit her head because his older self wanted to be dramatic.

"I can see that you broke the news to him gently." Sasuke mutters sarcastically as he supports his future wife.

 **"Father can be very stubborn sometimes. It's best to be firm with him really."** Hinata says sheepishly.

Sasuke shakes his head. Well firm was one way to put it. He couldn't believe that his older self had basically accused Hiashi of murder. Apparently, neither could his Hinata.

"Are you alright?" He whispers softly.

"I think so. It was just difficult to process that. I always knew that you were a brutally honest person. I just didn't think you were that brutally honest." The Hyuga Heiress mumbles.

The raven haired man shakes his head and wraps his arms around her waist. It was probably smarter to keep a firm hold on her, just in case. Hinata had a history of fainting when she got flustered.

"Understandable. Are you ready for this? We can wait a bit longer if you like." He inquires gently.

"I'm as ready as I'm going to be. He's going to find out sooner or later. At least this way, we have backup." The bluenette says with a shy smile.

Sasuke nods in agreement. Well he supposed that was one way to look at it. Their future selves had clearly told Hiashi that they were together and lived to tell the tale. Obviously, that meant that they would too.

"Alright. Well I suppose there is no time like the present." Sasuke says as he walks off with his Hinata and the elder set.

 **"That was a very bad pun. It was bad when I made it and it's still bad when you are making it."** The Uchiha Patriarch tells him.

It didn't take them long to find Hiashi. The man was just innocently going about his morning training routine. Sasuke felt a stab of pity for him. He had no idea what was about to happen. Maybe they should tell him to sit down first.

"Father, do you have a few minutes to t-alk? It's important." Hinata calls out softly.

The Hyuga Patriarch quickly pauses his training. He nods and walks over to his daughter. Well perhaps daughters would be more accurate. Honestly, this entire situation was extremely chaotic and confusing!

"Of course, I do. I always have time for you. What would you like to discuss?" He asks.

 **"Sasuke?"** Hinata asks as she looks at her husband.

She felt sorry for her father. This was going to be one shocking morning for him. It had to be done though. The mother of four wished that her husband was a more subtle man, but he wasn't.

Sasuke had his own _**unique**_ style of communication. So she had to let Sasuke be Sasuke. (If she didn't, they might damage the timeline.)

 **"You may wish to sit down first. This is probably going to come as quite the surprise."** The eldest Sasuke warns Hiashi.

Thankfully, the Hyuga man took his advice. He quickly sits down and looks up at the four of them. Suddenly, a feeling of dread formed in his stomach. He didn't like where this was going in the slightest.

"What is going on? Why do all of you look so somber?" The lavender eyed man inquires cautiously.

It was more a matter of formality than anything else. Unfortunately, he had a pretty good idea where this was going. Naruto had warned him awhile ago about their heated kisses. So in a way, he had been bracing for this "confession" for quite some time.

"It's good news, father. It just might be a little shocking at first." Hinata says.

Hiashi wasn't entirely certain that them being together counted as good news. Still he nods his head encouragingly. He had to at least pretend that he didn't know what was about to happen.

 **"Sasuke and I are married in the future and our younger counterparts are now courting."** The elder Hinata says.

Damn it. That's what he had been afraid that she would say. He couldn't for the life of him understand how Hinata had ended up with Sasuke!

Hiashi frowns as he considers the best way to respond to that. Clearly, in the future the two of them were still together. He must have still had at least a cordial relationship with Hinata. Otherwise, she wouldn't bother to inform him of what was going on.

"I can't say that I entirely approve of this match. Sasuke, you've done a lot of horrible things. You've betrayed this village once, I don't see why you wouldn't do it again. I have no doubt that you do care for her in your own way, but you aren't an easy person to love. You're still battling your own demons. Perhaps that isn't your fault, but it is still a fact." Hiashi replies in what he perceived as being a tactful fashion.

Unfortunately for him, the elder Sasuke had known this was going to happen. He was ready for it. What stung is that he knew what Hiashi said was all true. Any intelligent man would be nervous about allowing their daughter to be courted by him. He couldn't entirely blame the Hyuga Patriarch and perhaps that's why he responded as viciously as he did.

 **"I can understand your concerns, but I hope you realize that you are attempting to murder your own grandchildren now. If you keep us apart, they will never be born. There's no real distinction between that and slaying them by your own hand."** Sasuke hisses at him.

Hiashi was sitting down, but he stumbles back as if he had been struck. He'd always been a fair skinned man, but his face turned white as a sheet at that reasoning. He felt as though he was going to be sick.

Sasuke was right. If he prevented them from being together, that would be "murdering" innocent children. He hadn't known for a fact that children were involved, but he had suspected it. Sasuke wanted to restore his Clan after all and Hinata was certainly not barren. It was just logical to assume they would have children together.

"You do not fight fairly." He mutters.

 **"At the moment, I do not give a damn about what is fair and what isn't. I will do whatever is necessary to protect my family. If that means being brutally frank with you, I will do so. I'd rather not have to be this cruel to you, but I will. I will, if I have to be."** The eldest Sasuke says.

Sasuke watches his older self and Hiashi engage in their battle of wills. He glances at his Hinata. The younger Uchiha wraps his arm around her comfortingly. This couldn't be easy for her to watch.

Hiashi sighs. He knew that Sasuke had the ultimate trump card at the moment. His grandchildren. He might not entirely trust Sasuke, but he wouldn't stop his grandchildren from even being born. He wasn't that cruel.

"Very well. Though if you hurt her in any way, you will regret it. I do not care how powerful you are. A father's love will more than even out the scales." He warns him.

 **"I would expect no less. You can ask her yourself, if you need proof. She's happy with me."** Sasuke replies.

The Hyuga Patriarch sighs as he looks over to his daughter. Lovely. The present day Sasuke had his arm around her. It was as if he was trying to support her through this entire ordeal by holding her.

Hiashi was not a man who gave up easily. That simply wasn't in his nature, but he was also a practical man. Practically, he knew when he was "beaten."

"Hinata? Is what he says true? Are you happy with him in the future? I know that you can not risk giving away too many details, but I do need to know. If you are unhappy, we can change it." The lavender eyed man asks.

 **"I'm very happy with him, father. You don't need to worry about me. Truly, I will be alright."** Hinata says as she offers him a reassuring smile.

Hiashi sighs. His daughter would never lie to him. So if Hinata said that she was happy, she was happy. For the life of him, the Hyuga man couldn't understand how any of this was possible. Perhaps he didn't need to. He just needed to accept reality.

"Hopefully, the children will take after you in temperament." The ninja says with a heavy sigh.

This drew dirty looks from both Sasukes. That had been a poorly cloaked insult and they all knew it. The two of them were obviously debating whether or not they should issue a scathing retort to that comment.

 **"Sasuke, be nice. It's a lot to take in."** Hinata lightly chides her husband.

 **"I suppose you are right. Do you accept the fact that Hinata and I are going to be together?"** He asks his father-in-law.

The Hyuga Patriarch sighs. It seemed like he had no point. He had to. If for no other reason, he had his grandchildren to consider.

"I might not be entirely pleased by this development, but Hinata's happiness and my grandchildren come first. I will not stand in the way of your relationship." He states.

Hinata smiles and walks over to her father. She embraces him in a comforting fashion and stands on her tip toes to whisper into his ear. After all, she had to offer him some sort of reassurance and this was the best way that she could think of.

"Thank you, father. I know this is hard for you, but I love you. You've made me very happy. I didn't want my relationship with Sasuke to come between us." She whispers.

"I love you too, daughter. I just wish that your taste in men was a little less exotic. Though I have to wonder how you went from admiring Naruto to marrying HIM!" Hiashi whispers back and simply shakes his head.

"It's a long story and I've only read the beginning so far." Hinata tells him with a smile.

Oh boy. Hiashi sighs and looks up at the sky. Why him? Why couldn't Hinata fall for a nice boy. Well he supposed Mini Sasuke was a nice boy, but Middle Sasuke?! That was really testing the limits of what he could condone.

"I know that you'll find this hard to believe right now, but I do love her. Hinata, maybe we should check on the Minis." Sasuke says as he extends his hand to her.

Hinata's eyes widen at what he said. Sasuke loved her?! Well it was somewhat of a given that he would eventually. They were married in the future with children, but he didn't think he was in love with her yet.

"You love me?" She asks in a stunned voice.

"Of course, I do. How else do you think that I resisted the impulse to Chidori every man that danced with you or thought about doing so? I knew it would upset you, so I didn't. If I didn't love you, do you think I would have risked telling Hiashi about us? I meant it when I said that I wanted to take care of you." Sasuke tells her.

"…" Hiashi is speechless and so was Hinata.

He didn't doubt that Sasuke was sincere in his odd declaration of love. The Uchiha was many things, but a liar wasn't one of them as far as he could tell. Still it was disturbing.

"Curbing your impulse to indulge in violence is what counts as love in your world?" The Hyuga Patriarch asks incredulously.

"Well there are other signs, but yeah." Sasuke says as if that should be self-explanatory.

Hinata shakes her head. She smiles and kisses her husband on the cheek. Sasuke would eventually get a little bit better at social etiquette, but in the end Sasuke would always be Sasuke.

 **"I still don't know why he found that odd."** Sasuke mutters as Hinata just laughs.

"You're right. We should probably go check on the Minis." Hinata says as she takes his hand and the two of them walk off together.

It didn't take them long to find their younger counterparts. Together. Sasuke must have snuck into Hinata's room at some point. The two children were currently sprawled out on the bed together and sleeping.

"That's adorable. Though I am very relieved father didn't find them like this." Hinata says.

"Me too. It's hard." Sasuke mutters.

Hinata looks at him in confusion. What did Sasuke mean by that? What was hard? It was a bit of a paradox. With some things, Sasuke was extremely blunt. When it came to expression most of his emotions though, he was frustratingly cryptic at times.

"What's hard?" She asks.

"Seeing him. Not telling him. He has no idea what's about to happen to him. His entire world is about to change and I can't tell him the truth. If I do that, we might never get together. There's so much pain that he's going to go through and it's possibly preventable." Sasuke says with a sigh.

Hinata sighs and wraps her arms around him tightly. She understood. There had been hundreds of times where she had almost warned Mini Sasuke about what was going to happen, but she hadn't. She couldn't.

"It will get better for him one day though. You know that." She says.

"I know that. You know that, but he won't know that for a very long time. I feel like I'm betraying myself in a way." Sasuke whispers.

"It will get better one day. Just think, someday he'll get to see me in lingerie too." Hinata whispers into his ear.

Sasuke smirks. Well that was a good point. That would go a long way towards mending his broken psyche really.

"Well that's definitely something for him to look forward to. So is that your only exotic piece or is there more?" He asks.

Hinata blushes. She wanted to make him feel better. She didn't expect Sasuke to go from somber to frisky so quickly. Then again, she probably should have. Apparently, they did have children in the future together.

"R-ight now that's my only set like that." She admits with a blush.

"I figured as much. You really are such an innocent Lily. I guess it doesn't really matter. The wrapping paper is very nice, but it's what is underneath it that really matters." Sasuke informs her smugly.

The Hyuga woman could only blush more in response. Really, she was grateful when she noticed the Minis were beginning to stir. It provided her an excuse not to respond directly to that.

 _"Uh oh."_ Sasuke mumbles when he wakes up and sees the Middle Sasuke and Hinata in the room with them.

 _"What's wrong?"_ Hinata asks with a yawn as she stretches.

The young girl blinks when she saw the other two. Uh oh was right. They were probably in big trouble.

"Don't worry. You aren't in trouble. We were just checking up on you to make sure that you were okay." Hinata says with a smile.

"Let's get you both some breakfast." Sasuke adds.

The mention of food certainly perked up the Minis. They quickly follow their older counterparts down the stairs and towards the Dining Hall. Few things were more motivating than food when it came to children.

It didn't take them long to be seated at the dinning room table and for the Minis to begin chowing down. Sasuke smiles at the adorable sight.

 _"These are really good. You should try one of these muffins, Hinata."_ Sasuke says.

 _"Yeah. I like the blueberry muffins best too!"_ She agrees as she grabs one and bites into it.

"They really are too cute sometimes." Hinata whispers and Sasuke nods in agreement.

That's when their quiet morning was interrupted by Naruto barreling in. Sasuke raises an eyebrow. God only knows what the idiot wanted now.

"Naruto, you better have a good reason for barging in before nine in the morning. What's going on?" He demands.

"Come on. We need to get going. It looks like the Daimyos sent a representative to the Leaf. Something big is up." The blonde exclaims.

Sasuke blinks. That was rare. He'd never heard of the Daimyos doing that before. Naruto was right. Something was going on.

"Alright. We'll be back later. Stay safe and whatever you do, don't leave the Estate. Stay with the oldest set." Sasuke instructs the Minis.

 _"What's going on?"_ Sasuke asks in confusion and his playmate looked equally as baffled.

Hinata didn't understand what was going on. Why did the adults look so serious? What did the Daimyos want? She sorta knew who they were. They were very important people. Like the Hokage!

 _"Maybe you shouldn't go. It could be dangerous."_ The youngest Hyuga Heiress argues.

Hinata smiles and pats her younger self's head. She was worried about the same thing honestly. Still one didn't keep the Daimyo's representative waiting. That was just a recipe for disaster.

"We'll be back soon. In the meantime, you and Sasuke can have fun all day with our older selves. Alright?" She asks kindly.

The Minis were looking at them both skeptically. They might only be seven, but they knew when something strange was going on. Right now, something very strange was going on.

 _"Alright. We'll stay here."_ Hinata says as she glances at the younger Sasuke, who nods in agreement.

"Good. Hopefully, this won't take too long. I'll let them know that we are leaving and then we'll meet you at the Estate's exit, Naruto." Sasuke says.

"Got it. We better hurry though. I think whatever is going on, is probably a really big deal." The blonde says as he darts off.

Hinata and Sasuke quickly dart off to find their future counterparts. Well at least they would be able to watch the Minis. So that was a relief.

"The is sent a representative. Everyone is supposed to attend. Can you watch the Minis while we go and see what is going on?" Hinata asks.

 **"Of course, we can."** Sasuke says and his wife nods in confirmation.

Sasuke tilts his head as he considers this. Well maybe they'd at least be able to get some good training, while the middle Sasuke and Hinata were out with the Daimyo representative. That'd be good.

"Thank you." Sasuke says as he heads off with Hinata.

About ten minutes later, the trio arrived in the Village Square. The representative was standing in the center of it. There was no need to guess who was here on the Daimyo's behalf. The man's clothes probably cost more money than most people made in a year.

"Good morning. I am so happy that you were all able to be here. I know that it is short notice, but I think you will all agree that it was well worth the inconvenience." He says.

Everyone watches him curiously. Not a single person knew what was going on. You could have heard a pin drop as the representative continued.

"The war is over. In order to ensure that the ties between the different nations and their representative ninja villages remain strong, the Daimyo's have devised a tournament. Each village will choose up to 10 ninjas to compete. When you enter, you will be randomly put onto a team with ninjas from different villages. There will be three separate competitions going on. Individual scores, team scores, and village scores. At the end of the tournament prizes will be awarded." He explains.

Everyone blinks. Whatever they had been expecting, that had not been it. An international tournament? Suddenly the crowd began to erupt in a chorus of gossip.

"That will be all. You have a week to select up to ten ninjas you want to compete. Send your scroll filled with your selections to the Fire Daimyos. Thank you." He says as he departs just as suddenly as he came.

Sasuke frowns. A tournament for all the different villages? A tournament where you would be randomly assigned to work with foreign ninjas? What sort of game were they playing.

"You think something strange is going on as well, don't you?" Hinata asks softly and Sasuke nods in agreement.

It didn't make any sense. What was the point? The representative had said that it was to strengthen ties between villages, but if that was true why would they have individual and village scores? It would make more sense just to have team scores or even just team and individual scores. Adding a village score was an unnecessary element. A potentially dangerous one.

"I do. I just don't know what. It looks like the announcement is over though. We should probably get back to the Minis." Sasuke says.

"You're right. We probably should, but first I want to talk to Kurenai Sensei. She might know something more about the tournament." Hinata says as she strides over to the Genjutsu Mistress.

Sasuke nods in approval at this. Of course, what he didn't know is that Hinata didn't want to just talk about the tournament with her Sensei. She also had more personal matters to discuss with her.

"Kurenai Sensei, do you know anything about this tournament?" The bluenette asks.

Kurenai shakes her head. No. She was just as stunned as everyone else. Even the Hokage looked stupefied. That was generally never a good sign.

"I'm afraid that I do not. I haven't heard anything about this before five minutes ago." She admits.

Hinata bites her lower lip. That was ominous. Kurenai was a Jonin and had been for years. She was respected and usually briefed on anything important that was going on in the village.

"That doesn't sound good. I wanted to thank you. It's a very long story, but Sasuke really did like the lingerie you got me." She admits with a blush.

"No, it doesn't sound good. I am glad that things are going well with you and Sasuke though. Is that all you did? You just modeled it for him? I shouldn't expect to see a baby Uchiha in nine months or so, should I?" Kurenai asks and Hinata blushes scarlet.

That was all that they did. Mostly because her father had walked in on them. Idly, she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened, if he didn't.

Sasuke was certainly not shy and now that they knew they were together in the future, there really wasn't a reason to be nervous. As long as the timeline didn't alter, they knew that they would still be together for at least a decade. They'd be married with children. Modesty seemed a little pointless when one factored those things into the equation.

"No! No, mini Uchihas. Well at least not yet. I mean he liked it, but haven't been intimate yet. My father almost walked in on me wearing that. It's a good thing that we heard him coming down the hall. Sasuke had to hide in the closet." She admits.

Kurenai laughs. Ah yes. She remembered those days. Some things never changed. The boy would always hide in the closet when the Papa Bear came to visit his princess.

"Well at least it's a very nice closet. I remember when I had my first boyfriend. My closet was really small. He barely fit in it." Kurenai says with a wink.

Hinata blinks. It was difficult to imagine her Sensei doing something like that. Then again, she had never thought that Kurenai would buy her racy lingerie either.

"Did you get caught?" She asks.

"Yes, he got caught. Poor boy was traumatized pretty badly. My father also specialized in Genjutsu." Kurenai informs her.

The Hyuga Heiress tries to process that and shakes her head. That poor boy. God only knows what Kurenai's father had made him see.

"I guess it didn't work out?" She asks.

"Oh we dated for a few months, but he ended up getting transferred to another village. He took my father's threats in stride though. I'm glad that Sasuke didn't get caught though." Kurenai says.

"Me too." Hinata says with a smile.

If Sasuke had gotten caught, she was pretty sure she knew what would have happened. Her father would have used his not so Gentle Fist below the belt. Then she might never have had children with Sasuke. Just thinking about it was enough to make her shiver.

"Well you better hurry, I think he's waiting for you." The ruby eyed woman notes in amusement.

"Yes, I think so too. Thank you, Kurenai Sensei. For everything. I mean it." Hinata says as she races back over to Sasuke.

Sasuke smiles at her and wraps his arm around her waist. The two head back towards the Hyuga Estate. Neither of them was aware of the rest of Team Eight watching them.

"Did you see that?" Kiba growls in annoyance.

"Yes, I saw that. It doesn't seem like Hinata has an issue with him holding her as they walk. Leave it alone, Kiba." Shino says.

"You're kidding me, right?! I'm going to give that jerk a piece of my mind. I'm not going to let him hurt our teammate!" He exclaims.

Shino says. He wasn't sure if Kiba was playing the part of an overprotective brother or an unrequited lover. He did know one thing though. He was going to have to keep Kiba as far away from Sasuke as possible. It really was for everyone's safety. He sighs as he realizes that was easier said than done.


	14. Chapter 14

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Do feel free to weigh in on when you would like the other Sasukes and Hinatas to return to their times.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 14

A few days later, the tournament was all anyone was talking about. Sasuke couldn't blame them. It was big news, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on than they were being told.

"Are you going to enter?" Hinata whispers while she was sitting on his lap.

The two of them had gone to the lake and were sitting a few feet away from the water, underneath the shade of one of the trees. He never would have thought that Hinata was capable of being sneaky, but apparently she was. The Hyuga Heiress must have suggested they go to the lake to get him to lower his guard and ask him that question.

His guard had been lowered because now he knew the joy of seeing his future wife in a swimsuit. Mentally he slaps himself for being that easily manipulated. Sasuke really should have known something was up when she asked if he wanted to go to the lake. But he had agreed without thinking about it because she was wearing a two piece.

"I'm thinking about it. I'll ask my older counterpart first. We can't risk altering the timeline. What about you?" He asks as he runs his fingers through her long, silky blue tresses.

"Part of me wants to. It's a matter of pride really, but another part of me thinks that this is some kind of trap. I just don't see how." Hinata confesses.

She leans back into his gentle administrations. That felt nice. It was soothing really.

"I can understand that. I spoke with the older me. He says that we can go public with our relationship now. He also mentioned that Kiba was going to be stupid, but I already knew that was going to happen." The raven haired ninja muses.

"Sasuke! That's mean! And should he really be telling you things like that? Isn't he worried about the future being changed?" The Hyuga Heiress exclaims.

He knew it was mildly sadistic, but it was fun to rile Hinata up. Her lavender orbs with flicker like a lightning strike and when she got really animated, she'd jump around a bit. That's when her breasts would jiggle. He liked the jiggle.

"No. The older me realizes that whether or not we were public with our relationship would have an impact on the future. So he had to tell me that much. As for Kiba, he probably shouldn't have told me that. Still I figured that would be the case anyway. So no major bombshells or alterations have been made." The Uchiha assures her .

"I guess that's true." She says as she cuddles into Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke smiles and kisses the top of her head. This was nice. He never thought that he'd be the type to enjoy embracing like this. For Hinata though, he'd make an exception. She was always an exception.

"I think you'd do great in the tournament." He tells her.

"Really?" Hinata asks with a smile, obviously rather pleased that he believed in her.

"Yeah. Naruto's Sexy Jutsu has nothing on you, especially when you wear that red lace." Sasuke says smugly.

He owes when Hinata whacks him for that one. Alright. He deserved that. Still he wasn't going to take it back. It was the truth!

"I can't believe you said that!" She grumbles and blushes ruby red at his outrageous comment.

"I'm just telling the truth. There's that and you are also a formidable ninja. People just tend to underestimate you because you're shy and kind. Use that to your advantage." The raven haired ninja suggests.

"That's better. You really think that I could do it? All the villages will likely be sending only their best." The heiress reasons.

Sasuke nods. He knew she could do it. She had the Byakugan, Gentle Fist, exceptional chakra control, and the ability to suck out chakra. Most people didn't really notice it because of her gentle nature, but she could be a fearsome opponent. Well if she wanted to be. Most of the time, she wouldn't hurt a fly.

"I don't think you can do it. I know you can do it." Sasuke replies.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me. Wait. Someone is coming." Hinata says as she looks around.

Sasuke frowns. Yeah. She was right. He could sense chakra coming their way. It felt somewhat familiar. Leaf Ninja.

"Whose there?" He demands.

"Me. Hey, Hinata." Kiba says as he walks over to them.

Sasuke watched the "mutt's" body language. He was bracing for a fight, but clearly didn't want to scare Hinata. This was going to be very annoying. He just knew it.

"Kiba! Hi." The Hyuga Heiress says with a nervous smile.

She could only hope that somehow the two of them would learn to get along. Kiba was her friend and her teammate. His opinion was important to her. Sasuke was her future husband. These were two of the most important men in her life.

Unfortunately, they couldn't be more different. This was literally going to be like cats and dogs. She could already see this. The best she could hope for was that they would learn to tolerate each other.

"Hello, Hinata. So it's really true then. You and him are together?" Kiba asks in disbelief as he looks at the couple from head to toe.

Sasuke felt himself twitch in annoyance. He was checking to make sure that Hinata wasn't hurt. The implication pissed him off. Hinata must have sensed this because she gives him a concerned look. His chakra likely lashed out a bit and the perceptive medic had sensed it.

"Yes, we are. I'd introduce you two, but we were all in the same year at the Academy." The bluenette says awkwardly.

"Yeah. I remember. You were a stuck up kid then and now you're the big bad. If you hurt her in any way, I will make you regret it. I swear it, Uchiha. I don't care how strong you are. I will find a way to take you down. Hinata is my friend. I'm not going to let anyone hurt her. It doesn't matter how many freaky eye tricks you have up your sleeve." The canine lover declares.

After that comment, it was a miracle that Sasuke didn't lunge at Kiba. How DARE he insult Sasuke's bloodlines?! This man was just asking for it.

"You are delusional, if you think there is any universe where you could even lay one hand on me. I'm going to let that go though. I know you are just sticking up for Hinata, but you don't have to. She's happy with me. She's a big girl now. Hinata can make her own choices. She doesn't need you to babysit her." Sasuke snaps at him.

Kiba frowns. He wasn't babysitting Hinata. He was just trying to protect his teammate. The Hyuga Heiress had a habit of seeing the good in everyone and wanting to give everyone a second chance. Sometimes her mercy could be taken advantage of, particularly by people like him!

"Hinata, are you sure about this? It's one thing to allow him back into the village. It's another to be dating him." Kiba says.

"Kiba, I'm happy with Sasuke. I appreciate that you are just looking out for me, but you don't need to worry." Hinata tells him with a reassuring smile.

Sasuke couldn't lie. He felt rather smug at Hinata telling the dog to back off. Of course she was doing it in a rather gentle way, but it was Hinata. She was never vicious or rude. By Hinata standards, this was firm.

"I'm always going to worry about you. You're my friend. Friends look out for each other. I'm happy you found someone. Did it REALLY have to be him though?" The Inuzuka inquires and Hinata giggles.

Apparently, Kiba just couldn't resist getting another shot in. She supposed it was a guy thing. Men just had to turn everything into a contest.

"Yes, it had to be him. You'll understand one day." Hinata says and she kisses Sasuke's cheek.

She was actually impressed that Sasuke hadn't fired off a Chidori or at least a fireball yet. She loved him, but he had a Hell of a temper. The last Uchiha wasn't Naruto. He could be quite violent when he wanted to be outside of the battlefield.

"Yeah. I don't think that's going to happen. He is right about one thing though. You're an adult. You can make your own decisions. Even if I think that you are a little crazy for dating him, I'm not going to fight you on it. Hopefully, you'll change your mind though. He's a walking time bomb, Hinata. We all know that." Kiba half pleads with her.

Sasuke balls up his fists. He knew that he couldn't have a go at Kiba. As much as he wanted to bash his face in, it would be a dumb move. Hinata had only recently agreed to be his girlfriend. She would likely leave him, if Hinata saw him beating up one of her friends.

He had to stay calm. It was hard though. Really hard. The impulse to lunge at the canine lover for his stupid comments was incredibly strong.

"Kiba, be nice. So are you going to enter the tournament?" Hinata asks.

Maybe it would be best to change the conversation. It was a horribly obvious attempt to do so, but she had no other alternatives. She didn't want Sasuke and Kiba to start fist fighting.

She adored Kiba. The Inuzuka was a powerful ninja in his own right, but it wouldn't be a fair fight. If Sasuke got really angry and lost control of his temper, it would be over and brutally soon.

"Yeah. Of course, I'm going to enter. I wouldn't miss it for the world. If we were all on the same team with other Leaf Villagers, I wouldn't though. I'm not going to fight on the same team as HIM." The other male ninja says.

"The feeling is very much mutual. Poor Hinata. Two of your teammates are dogs and only one of them is house trained. Well I suppose at least Akamaru is cute. You can't say that about his owner though." Sasuke says in a bored fashion.

Uh oh. Hinata gets between Kiba and Sasuke before her friend could lunge at the Uchiha. That comment had certainly set him off.

"Sasuke, Kiba. Stop provoking each other. Sasuke, let's go back to the Estate. We should all be training for the tournament anyway. It was nice to see you, Kiba." Hinata says as she walks off with her boyfriend.

Meanwhile back at the Estate, the youngest Sasuke and Hinata were tring to spy on their older selves again. They both knew that a tournament was going to happen. Both of them were curious to find out more about it.

 _"I wish we were big. Then we could compete."_ Sasuke says.

 _"I don't know. It seems like it would be really dangerous. Still it should be fun to watch. Do you think the Leaf will win?"_ Hinata asks quietly.

Mini Sasuke tilts his head to the side as he considers it. Honestly, he didn't really know much about the other ninja villages. The Leaf was strong, but it was hard to say. It depended on who everyone sent and what the tournament was like.

 _"I don't know. I think we have a good shot though. Our village is strong. Do you know anything about the other villages?"_ The other child asks.

Hinata bites her lower lip as she considers it. She didn't really know much about the other villages either. Sasuke was right though. The Leaf was strong though. They could do it.

 _"I know their names and where they are located. I don't know much more than that though. Who knows what they are capable of? We have a lot of powerful ninjas on our side. I'm sure that at least some of my family will enter. The Byakugan will be really helpful in the tournament."_ She says.

Sasuke nods in agreement. That's true. The Byakugan could have a really wide range in some cases. Maybe they'd be able to pull it off.

 **"You two really need to work on your stealth skills."** Sasuke notes in amusement and the children eep.

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement. He couldn't believe that his younger self had just eeped. Then again, he was only seven. It was likely anyone his age would have had the same reaction. That could be overlooked.

 **"It's alright. You are in trouble. It's only natural that you'd be curious about the tournament."** Hinata says.

Mini Sasuke and Hinata sigh in relief. Oh good. They weren't in trouble. That was a close one.

 _"What happens at the tournament? You're from the future. You've already lived through this. You know what's going to happen."_ Sasuke reasons.

The elder Sasuke mentally sighs. In a way, his younger counterpart was too smart for his own good. Things could get complicated and quickly, if he kept digging for answers like that.

 **"I can't tell you that. We don't want to mess with the future. Besides, if we told you everything that was going to happen, that would take all the fun out of it. Don't you want to be surprised?"** He tries to reason with the Mini Sasuke.

Mini Sasuke glances at Mini Hinata. It was as if he was asking her what she thought of that excuse. She just nods and Sasuke seems to decide that was good enough.

 _"I guess you're right. It's not as much fun watching, if you know who is going to win. Are you going to enter? We are too little. They'd never let us go."_ He pouts.

 **"We can't enter. People would notice that we were older than we are supposed to be. It's important to keep our presence a secret. We don't want to scare people."** Hinata says.

The Minis seem to accept this explanation. Clearly though, that wouldn't be the last of their questions. They were both rather curious people. Well all kids that age were curious really. So it was to be expected.

 _"I guess that makes sense. That would make people ask a lot of questions. Are we going to return to our time?"_ The youngest Hinata asks.

Sasuke frowns as he considers this. Hinata was right. They had been here a long time. This was one really long dream.

 **"Yes, you'll return to your time."** Sasuke assures them, though the Mini Sasuke notes that he seemed to be looking at him with sadness.

Why was his older self sad about that? Did something bad happen in the future? Well maybe he should call it the past. This was all so confusing!

 _"When?"_ Hinata asks.

 **"Soon. You'll return to your time soon."** Her older self assures her.

That was when the Middle Sasuke and Hinata walked in. They had sensed their counterparts chakra and headed straight towards them. The Minis weren't the only ones who wanted answers.

"I take it that they were trying to be sneaky and find out more about the tournament?" Sasuke asks.

 **"You're right. They were. It's okay though. Anyone is naturally going to be curious about such a big event. We knew that the two of you would also have questions. Sasuke, Hinata, perhaps you should go play outside?"** He suggests.

The Minis didn't need to be told twice. They bound off together, hand in hand. This draws smiles from the elder sets' faces.

"It's a shame that they will only think this is all a dream in the end. Another friend would have been helpful back then." Sasuke mutters.

 **"I know the feeling. It's probably for the best though. We wouldn't have listened to anyone at that time, anyway. It would have only put our Hinatas through unnecessary pain."** He says.

Sasuke nods in agreement. Their Hinatas apparently didn't take too kindly to being spoken about like they weren't in the same room. The two Sasukes rub the back of their heads sheepishly at the dirty looks that they were both getting.

"That's not nice of you to talk about us like we aren't here." Hinata grumbles.

"I'm sorry. You're right." Sasuke says as he kisses her cheek.

The elder Sasuke also murmurs an apology to his wife. He caresses her cheek and lowers his eyes in appropriate contrition. Luckily for him, this appeared to do the trick.

 **"You're lucky that I love you."** Hinata whispers.

 **"I know. I'm VERY lucky."** Sasuke agrees as he kisses her forehead and smiles.

"I think you know what we are going to ask. Did either of us enter that tournament? We have to know." The Hyuga Heiress says.

The elder set pauses as they consider the best way to answer that question. Both of them knew that they couldn't get out of it. That didn't change that they had to handle the entire situation with care.

 **"You both enter. We can't tell you anything more than that. Truly, I wish that we could, but we can't."** Sasuke says.

The younger Sasuke and Hinata nod sympathetically. It was so frustrating. There was so much that their older selves knew that they didn't. Things that they couldn't tell them.

"Alright. Then I guess we better go tell the Hokage we are ready to sign up in that case." Sasuke says and Hinata nods in agreement.

 **"Good luck."** Hinata says and her husband also offers his well wishes as the two of them depart.

Elsewhere in the Leaf, Kurenai raises an eyebrow. One of her students was currently angrily grumbling as he pounded some training posts. Not surprisingly, it was Kiba.

Like any good Sensei, she decided to check on her obviously distressed student. It was the right thing to do after all. She really did care for her students and wanted them to be happy. Clearly, Kiba was not very happy at the moment.

"You seem upset. Would you like to discuss whatever is on your mind?" She asks gently.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Kurenai Sensei." Kiba says as he slams his leg into one of the posts, completely shattering it.

Kurenai smiles at this. Her students had all grown so strong. It truly seemed like it was only yesterday, when they had just barely graduated the Academy. They had been innocent children back then. Now they were all grown up. They were strong.

"Sometimes it helps to talk about whatever is troubling us." She offers again.

"Yeah. Maybe you're right. It's about Hinata. I'm really worried about her. She's now dating Sasuke. I don't think she really understands what he's like. The guy is dangerous. He'll hurt her. I don't know why she can't see that." The canine lover says.

The Genijutsu Mistress sighs. She should have seen this coming. Of course, Kiba wasn't going to be happy about Hinata's new relationship. That was only natural.

Sasuke had a colorful past to put it mildly. Any good teammate would be worried about Hinata's safety. So in a way, she couldn't blame him. Still she couldn't allow him to interfere with everything.

"I understand why you are concerned. It's not your decision to make though, Kiba. If Hinata thinks she sees something good in him, that's her choice. I'm certain that she appreciates your concern. But if you continue to push her on this, it might not end well. I do not wish to see your friendship with her ruined." The ruby eyed woman tells him.

Kiba sighs. He knew that Kurenai was right. There wasn't really a way that he could stop Hinata and Sasuke from being together. That didn't mean he had to like it though.

"I guess you're right. So are you going to enter the tournament? He asks.

"I don't think so. Only ten people can enter from each village. I think that the younger generation deserves their chance to shine. I'm not going to take one of their slots." Kurenai says with a smile.

Well that was true. Kiba felt bad for Kurenai though. She was a great ninja. She should be allowed to compete.

"You sure? I mean everyone should have a chance to join, if they are good enough." Kiba reasons.

"I'm sure. Besides, I'm sure that they will want lots of security. Maybe I can help out in a different way. That and I will have a grand time watching the festivities." She replies.

"Well that's good. Oh look. It's Kakashi." Kiba says.

Kurenai blinks and turns around. Sure enough, Kakashi was approaching them. She tilts her head to the side and walks over to the CopyCat Ninja.

"Is something wrong?" She asks.

"I don't think so. I overheard Kiba and Sasuke getting into it. It looks like it's alright though. Kiba's with you and the two lovers went back to the Hyuga Estate." He observes cheerfully.

Kiba falls over to the ground twitching, when he hears the silver haired ninja describe Sasuke and Hinata as lovers. Apparently, that was a bridge too far for him to process. Kakashi notices this and rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to shock you like that. I'm not actually sure how physically intimate they are with each other. Still it's only a matter of time. Sasuke does want to restore his Clan, after all." The masked ninja says as he helps Kiba up.

"I think that I'm going to be sick. I don't want to think about Hinata with that creep like THAT!" The young Leaf Ninja informs him with a growl.

Kakashi chuckles. Well one thing was for sure. Things were never going to be boring again in the Leaf. Talk about opposites attracting.

"I'll try to refrain from making further comments of that nature. It wasn't my intention to upset you further. Are you alright though?" The silver haired ninja asks.

"Yeah. I guess. I'm as alright as I'm going to be anyway." Kiba grumbles.

"Good. Kurenai, would you like to come with me? The Hokage wants some of the more experienced Jonin to have a meeting. Security for the tournament." He explains.

Kurenai nods. She bids farewell to her student and heads off with Kakashi. Never did she suspect that the CopyCat Ninja had made that up.

"So how are things between Hinata and Sasuke going? I must admit that I am curious." He says.

"Kakashi, did the Hokage actually want to see us or did you just want to gossip about our students?" The ruby eyed woman demands.

Kakashi at least had the decency to look sheepish. Kurenai shakes her head in disbelief. Honestly, sometimes it was hard to tell who the real teenagers were half the time.

"I wanted to gossip about our students. Do not pretend that you were not thinking the same thing." He says with a smile.

"I'll admit that sometimes it's fun to engage in a little gossip." Kurenai says.

"That's more like it. So what do you know so far? Are we about to have an army of mini Uchiha-Hyuga hybrids running around? That would really be something." He notes in amusement.

Kurenai couldn't help but laugh at the way he phrased it. It was entirely accurate, but said in such a comical fashion. It was very Kakashi.

"Oh I think the army is a little while off, but we are getting closer." She informs him.


	15. Chapter 15

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Mini Sasuke's Fate:** Feel free to weigh in on whether you want a realistic ending for him or if you want someone to tell him the truth about Itachi. There are two options. Realistic cannon or fairytale curveball?

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 15

The first day of the tournament had finally dawned. The Leaf had chosen to send all the remaining Rookie Nine, Kakashi, and Guy. Perhaps that was to be expected, the last Uchiha muses.

Sasuke continues surveying his environment. There were fifty ninjas from the Five Great Nations in the Arena. The stadium was jammed packed and there were cameras everywhere. It was going to be a circus and it looked like would be even more of a spectacle than his Chunin Exams.

"Naruto, Sasuke, be careful." Gaara says as he strides over to them while the final preparations were being made.

"Aren't you going to compete?" Naruto asks in confusion.

Sasuke and Gaara just shake their heads. They both knew that the Kazekage couldn't compete. If a Kage competed, it wouldn't be viewed as fair. That and it could turn into an international embarrassment, if they didn't perform up to expectations. It was simply too great of a risk.

"I can't. None of the Kages are going to compete." The red head explains.

"Oh that sucks. I'm sure you would have done great." Naruto says cheerfully.

Sasuke mentally groans. Naruto honestly didn't see anything wrong with this picture? He sincerely doubted that the Daimyos would go through all this trouble and expense for nothing. Something was up. They had gathered the best of the best when it came to ninja skill in one place at one time. You didn't do that for no reason.

"Thank you, my friend. As I said, you should both be careful. I won't lie. I have a bad feeling about this." The Kazekage says.

"Yeah. We got it. We'll be careful." The blonde agrees.

"Good. I see Neji's team has elected to participate. I'm going to go offer them my condolences. It can't be easy to lose one of your own like that." The Kage states as he heads over to Lee and Tenten to do just that.

Guy wasn't with his students currently. He and Kakashi were talking about something. Sasuke couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but something about 49-47.

The Uchiha decides to file that under the _**I Don't Want to Know Category.**_ Sometimes that was just the smarter choice. Decisions like that tended to preserve one's sanity longer.

"Sasuke! Naruto!" Hinata calls out as she rushes over to their side.

"Hey, Hinata! Really, glad that you decided to enter! I'm sure you will do great!" Naruto says.

Unfortunately for Naruto, Hinata couldn't really respond to him. Sasuke got to her first. It looked like the Leaf's newest couple had decided to go public in a big way with THAT kiss.

"Nevermind. Um talk to you when Sasuke decides to release your mouth." The blue eyed ninja chimes merrily.

Sasuke and Hinata were a little too distracted to answer him. The crowd must have noticed the liplock because suddenly the boisterous crowd became completely silent. Everyone just stopped what they were doing and stared. A lot.

"Well look at that, Kakashi. Your student is really going for it. Ah the power of youth and love. Talk about opposites attracting." Guy says.

"Oh believe me, I had the same reaction. I'm happy for them though. It seems to be working out rather well for them. A Yin and Yang effect really. They compliment each other in a way, I suppose. Honestly, I'm just happy that he is apparently capable of pursuing a normal relationship where every discussion doesn't end in a fist fight." He notes with a chuckle.

Guy chuckles as he glances at the happy couple. It was certainly never one that he saw coming. Still it looked as though they were rather enraptured by each other. Love was love. It didn't have to be logical.

"That's true. Well what about you, Kakashi?" The spandex lover inquires.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi replies warily.

The silver haired ninja had a pretty good idea where this was going. He hoped that he was wrong though. Once Guy got an idea into his head, he was worse than a dog with a bone. There was no reasoning with him.

"Well I'm just saying that you and Kurenai seem rather cozy lately." The busy browed man says.

"We were just playing matchmaker for Hinata and Sasuke. Besides, she's a grieving young mother. It would be wrong to expect anything from her in that area. I do have SOME morals. Not many, but some." He notes in amusement as he flips through his book.

Guy raises an eyebrow. Well he couldn't really argue with the CopyCat Ninja's logic. Still he wasn't buying it. Something was going on and he was going to help by giving them a push in the right direction.

While Guy was plotting, Sakura blinks as she watches Sasuke and Hinata. It wasn't only the crowd that was stunned. The pink haired medic couldn't help but openly gape at them.

"Did you know about this?" Ino whispers to Sakura and the only female member of Team Seven shakes her head.

"I had no idea. I'm just as shocked as you are." She whispers back.

Ino frowns. She wasn't really sure how her friend was going to react to all this. Sakura had liked Sasuke for a long time. It had to be tough to see him with someone else.

"Are you okay with it?" The blonde inquires gently and Sakura sighs.

"I guess I have to be. It's not really my choice. I wish that things had ended differently, but I can't really forbid it." The green eyed woman says.

"That's very reasonable of you. I'm proud of you billboard brow." The other female ninja says.

Sakura twitches. Who was Ino calling billboard brow? Oh she was going to regret that! She wasn't the shy girl that she used to be in the Academy. Sakura was Tsunade's apprentice and wasn't going to be treated so disrespectfully.

"WHAT WAS THAT, INO PIG?!" She demands.

"I said you were being very reasonable. I'm proud of you. Your forehead is still huge though. Sorry, that's just a fact." Ino says with a smirk.

Sasuke and Hinata were completely oblivious to all of this. They only had eyes for each other at the moment. Finally, the two break apart.

"Stay safe." Sasuke tells her.

"I will. Don't worry about me. Don't let your temper get the best of you." The bluenette warns him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asks in amusement at his girlfriend's warning.

Hinata gives him a look. She knew he was joking. They both knew what his temper was like. Sasuke tended to let his emotions rule him on the battlefield (or anywhere really.)

"You know exactly what I mean. This is a tournament. It's not a battle to the death." The Hyuga Heiress reminds him.

"Alright. Alright. I'll try to be a good boy." Sasuke says as he rolls his eyes playfully and Hinata smiles.

Meanwhile back at the Hyuga Estate, the Minis and eldest set were watching the tv. The tournament was being broadcasted. Sasuke and Hinata covered their younger selves' eyes when the kiss was shown. They were a little too young for that.

 _"Hey! Why are you covering our eyes?! We wanna see what's going on!"_ Sasuke protests.

 _"Yeah! It's not f-air that you can see everything and we ca-n't."_ Hinata stammers.

The husband and wife glance at the tv. After a few minutes, they determine that it was safe for the Minis to watch again. So they uncover their eyes.

 **"It's okay. You can look now."** Sasuke says.

 _"What'd we miss?!"_ His younger self demands and Sasuke just chuckles.

They were far too young to see such a passionate kiss. He knew that his younger counterpart wouldn't keep his innocence for long. So he wanted to preserve it for as long as possible.

Honestly, the Minis reminded him of their children in the future. This wasn't an uncommon scene in the Uchiha Household. In particular, their oldest daughter did like to investigate things just a little more thoroughly than was comfortable for her parents. Though he supposed that was only natural. Children were naturally inquisitive.

 **"You'll find out later."** Hinata assures him and smiles.

She remembered that kiss. It had stunned the Five Great Nations. It certainly didn't take long for the Gossip Mill to go into overdrive. She had never seen a rumor spread so quickly across borders before. It was rather impressive really.

 **"It really doesn't take long for gossip to spread. Faster than lightning, really."** Sasuke muses out loud because he knew exactly what his wife was thinking.

 **"Yes, it does spread faster than lightning."** The bluenette agrees.

Mini Sasuke and Hinata tilt their heads. What where they talking about? What about gossip? Grownups made no sense sometimes.

 _"I hope we aren't that weird, when we get old."_ Sasuke whispers.

 _"Me too. I'll never understand adults. They are so strange. I don't know what they are talking about half the time."_ Hinata agrees.

This causes Hinata to giggle. The Minis really needed to stop trying to be sneaky. .They weren't very good at fooling them. It wasn't a fair fight really though. She and Sasuke had already done everything that the two of them were thinking about doing.

"How is the tournament going?" Hiashi asks as he enters the living room.

 **"It hasn't started yet. We just kissed though. So our relationship is now very much public knowledge."** Sasuke informs him bluntly.

That was a bridge too far for Hiashi really. He was still processing the fact that Sasuke Uchiha was going to be the father of his grandchildren. Their relationship being public knowledge was well overwhelming. He felt as though he might faint.

 **"Father, perhaps you should sit down. You don't look entirely well."** Hinata says in concern.

"Yes, yes. I think that might be a good idea." The Hyuga Patriarch agrees as he sits down on one of the seats and turns his attention back to the tv.

The Daimyos had certainly spared no expense. He hadn't seen such a spectacle since the end of the war. The crowd was certainly going wild now and the stadium was completely filled to the brim. It was complete madness.

"I can't help but wonder what their game is. This is quite a bit of trouble to go through just for international cooperation to be encouraged." He mutters.

 **"Sadly, I have to agree with you."** Sasuke says.

Hiashi raises an eyebrow. One of the most frustrating things about having his future daughter and Sasuke here was that they knew what was about to happen. They knew everything, yet they couldn't tell them anything.

Oh he understood why, of course. That didn't make it any less frustrating though. It was difficult to accept the fact that the future was literally staring at you in the face and you couldn't touch it.

 **"And I don't suppose you can tell me what is really going on?"** He asks.

 **"I'm sorry, father. I'm sure you understand why we can't do that. We really do wish that we could though."** Hinata mumbles.

She hated keeping secrets from him. It was a necessary evil though. None of them could risk altering the future like that. Unfortunately, they would all just have to deal with hit.

 _"We'll win this tournament though! Well our older selves will, anyway! Itachi would be so proud of us!"_ Sasuke exclaims.

This caused the elder Sasuke and Hinata to wince. Oh boy. That was the elephant in the room. Every single day, Sasuke wrestled with whether or not he should tell his younger self the truth and every day it got just a little bit harder to make the right decision.

 _"Yeah! I'm sure the Leaf will win!"_ Hinata agrees with a smile as she and Mini Sasuke share a bowl of popcorn.

"Where did you two get that popcorn?" Hiashi asks.

 _"We made it."_ Sasuke says simply as if it was obvious.

The father of two sighs and heads towards the kitchen. He didn't like the sound of that. He was almost certain the kitchen would be a mess. He was proven right. How could two small children cause such complete chaos, he wonders to himself.

He had never seen his kitchen in more disarray. Seriously, this shouldn't even be possible. Somehow making popcorn successfully required turning his kitchen into a war zone.

"Children never change, no matter the era." He mutters with a sigh.

Back at the tournament, an announcer comes onto the stage. Everyone went silent as they set up their microphone and the crowd watches with baited breath. No one knew exactly what was about to happen.

"WELCOME, EVERYONE! I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are all very excited about what is about to happen. The Daimyos have put together this tournament to encourage cooperation between the different Ninja Villages. The alliances that were formed during the war, should be nurtured and maintained. Thus we are having this tournament." Iruka, the announcer, begins.

There was a loud roar of applause. Sasuke frowns. People were lapping this up. He still couldn't shake a bad feeling about this. As he glanced Gaara heading to join the other Kages, he was reminded that he wasn't the only one.

They might not have the warmest relationship, but he couldn't deny that Gaara was smart. If he was concerned, there was probably a good reason. Idly, he wondered what the Kages were whispering to each other behind closed doors.

"This tournament could be over in as little as a day or it could take weeks. There are five gems that have been hidden away in special scrolls, scattered throughout the Forest of Death. The team that gains all five first, wins the village competition and ends the tournament. You will all be given points based on your performance. So even if your village loses, you may win the individual and/or team competition. Prizes will be given to the victors." The announcer continues.

Five gems? Hmm. That was poetic. They must represent the Five Great Nations, Hinata thought. It vaguely reminded her of the Chunin Exams with the Heaven and Earth scrolls, but on a larger scale.

"The gems are a diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire, and an Amethyst stone. Should you feel unable to compete, you yield to your opponent and send off a flare. We are striving to prevent deaths, though you may fight to the death if you view it was necessary and your opponent doesn't yield." He explains.

The ninjas nod as they consider this. So it wasn't necessarily to the death, but it could be. That was unexpected.

"Should a contestant continue to fight after a ninja has yielded, they will be automatically disqualified. Their team and village will be docked points." The Academy Instructor explains.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at this. Whatever he had been expecting, that hadn't been it. They were deliberately trying to minimize deaths and going so far as to punish the entire village, if you killed after someone gave up. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe this was actually benign.

"Are there any questions?" The announcer asks.

"How do we know what we are awarded points for and what causes us to lose them? What about our individual, team, and village's scores?" Kiba asks.

"That's a very good question. You were all given a watch. It is activated by a voice commend. If you tell it that you want to see your individual score, it will show your number. The same applies for your team and village scores. You can also ask it to show the rankings to know where you stand in any of those categories. When you are given points, it will light up in green. When you lose them, it will light up in red." The Chunin begins to explain.

Hinata nods in understand. Well that sounded simple enough. Too simple really. They had really gone through a lot of trouble to think of everything. This was getting more and more suspicious.

"When the Sun goes down, all fighting will stop and everyone will have a chance to rest and tend to their injuries. You can also send out a flare for medical assistance at any time. If someone attacks while another person is receiving medical assistance, they are automatically disqualified and points will be taken from their team and village." Iruka finishes explaining.

The Kages watch anxiously from their special seats while Iruka finishes his explanations. All of them had grim expressions on their faces. At a bare minimum, if their villages didn't perform well it would reflect rather poorly on them. If this was actually on the up and up, the honor of their villages was on the line.

"What do you think about all this?" Mei asks Tsunade.

"I'm not sure what to think about all this. I only hope that no one gets killed. They seem to have taken a lot of precautions to prevent that. I wonder why. They certainly didn't mind the carnage of the Chunin Exams." The busty blonde replies.

Mei nods in agreement. It would be tragic to see people die needlessly like that. Ninjas were trained to prepare for the possibility they could be killed on a mission, but this was different. This wasn't a mission. This was for sport.

"I can't help but agree with you there." She admits.

"This is the height of foolishness. All this expense and time wasted for something that wasn't necessary." Onoki observes.

The Raikage frowns as he considers the Stone Kage's point. The old man was certainly right about that. This did seem obsessive. Surely, there were other ways to encourage unity.

"Sadly, it's out of our hands now. All we can do is watch and wait." Gaara observes.

"Alright. Are there any other questions before we begin?" The kindly instructor asks back in the Arena.

The contestants shake their heads. It was all rather self-explanatory. What none of them really understood is why this tournament was being held in the first place, but all of them wanted to bring honor to their villages.

"Wonderful. Everyone get with your teams. When I count to three and the cannons fire, we will begin." Iruka says.

Quickly, everyone rushes to find their teams. It didn't take long. These were all highly skilled ninjas, who had been briefed thoroughly about who their teammates would be before the tournament was held. Their speed was impressive to say the least.

"Alright. It looks like everyone is ready. BEGIN!" Iruka says as he gives the signal for the cannons to go off.

A few dozen cannons go off. Instead of releasing cannon balls, they release as loud bang of glitter and confetti everywhere. It was rather colorful and festive actually.

This of course was much to the crowd's surprise and delight. Everyone had been bracing for the loud booms of cannonballs being released. (And a few had been worried for their personal safety.) So the fact that it was just harmless decorations was something of a relief to many in the audience.

The teams took off running towards the Forest of Death. Everyone's heart was pounding and they were on high alert. Their main concern was finding those scrolls with the precious gems inside them. If they could do that, their village would win.

"Well it looks like we are off to a fine start! We have some highly skilled ninjas competing in this contest. So it should make for a grand event." Iruka says.

Kurenai bites her lower lip as she watches her team and Kakashi dart off into the forest. She knew why Guy and Kakashi had gone. They were just competitive. Overgrown teenage boys really. Boys will be boys, she supposed.

She just hoped that was all that came of this. If everything went right, maybe this tournament would go off without a hitch. Unfortunately, she had a bad feeling about all of this. A very, very bad feeling.

"Alright. So we got the Uchiha. That gives us a Hell of an advantage over most of the other teams. The only that could land a hit on him is Naruto." One of Sasuke's teammates says.

Sasuke didn't recognize him. All he could tell is that the green eyed man with long black hair was a Mist Villager. His uniform said that much. He also assumed he was a Jonin. It wasn't likely that the Ninja Villages would send anyone who wasn't at a Jonin to the tournament.

"Yeah. That's true. Well we still have to find those gems." A female says.

Idly, he notes that she was from the Stone Village. She had long red hair that fell to her waist in straight strands and dark blue eyes. The woman had also improvised on her uniform. To say that she was comfortable with her body would have been an understatement.

"I'm Kanzo." The first man introduces himself.

"Isabella." The Stone Villager adds and soon enough everyone introduced themselves.

Sasuke wasn't overly fond of the idea of working with a bunch of strangers. He had never really been much of a team player. Though he supposed in a situation like this, he didn't really have much of a choice. He had to suck it up and try to get along with these people.

"Sasuke. What is everyone good at? We should figure that out first before we go out and blindly search for these scrolls." He reasons.

"Well it looks like you are good at seducing Hyuga Princesses, but other than that…I'm a tracker." Isabella says.

Sasuke resisted the impulse to smack her. He was glad that his relationship with Hinata was public now. That didn't mean he was going to tolerate people making inappropriate comments though.

"Good to know. Anyone else?" He asks.

"I'm a medic." Kanzo informs him and Sasuke nods in approval.

On and on it went. It was quite a diverse team, Sasuke notes. Maybe the Daimyos had set it up that way on purpose. The villages could send whoever they wanted, but the Daimyos chose who was on what team. He didn't think that was a coincidence.

"Alright. Let's get started." Sasuke says as they take off in search of the gems.


	16. Chapter 16

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. Well some people were on the fence, but overall we have a clear winner. Fairytale curveball won. Actually, eventually there will be two curveballs. One of which you don't know about yet. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

 **Chapter Notation:** The eldest Hinata and Sasuke will return next chapter, I promise.

Chapter 16

Hinata notes that it was interesting. There were five teams and they each seemed to have a different strategy. Sasuke's team seemed to be huddling. Naruto's team took off running. Her team was exploring while semi huddling. There was a team that was led by a Stone Ninja that was splitting up into individual members to cover a wider area faster. Finally, the Sand's team had divided into two "mini groups" of five each.

"You know we could probably just let Sasuke grab most of the stones. He'd probably give them to Hinata. They are lovers and both Leaf Villagers." One of them says.

The Hyuga Heiress notes that this man had short dark green hair and sapphire blue eyes with a medium build. He was a Cloud Villager. Which Hinata thought was fitting because she felt like punching him at the moment and making him fly through some clouds.

"I'm not going to cheat like that and I doubt Sasuke would either!" She glowers at him.

"You sure? It's not really cheating. Good ninjas complete their missions by any means necessary. I'm Bunta by the way." He says.

Hinata didn't consider herself a violent person by nature, but that didn't mean she wasn't capable of it. She was a ninja after all. Bunta was asking for it. How dare he suggest such a thing?!

"Bunta, knock it off. That's dishonorable. Besides, do you really want to upset the woman who is the Uchiha's lover? That's probably the fastest way to an early demise that I have ever heard of." A woman from the Stone Village says.

Hinata notices that she was a busty blonde with orange eyes. She seemed familiar with Bunta despite being from separate villages. Maybe they had met during the War?

"I'm just saying it would be easier. Oh stop giving me those dirty looks. We all know that female ninjas usually aren't above using their feminine charms to complete their missions." He says.

This draws plenty of dirty looks from the five females on the team. Bunta sighs. He puts up his hands in an _**I Surrender Gesture.**_ The women seem to accept this and merely shake their heads at his antics.

"You are such an idiot. She has the Byakugan. That's almost as good as having Sasuke give us the stuff. I'm Aimi by the way." She introduces herself.

"Hinata. BYAKUGAN!" The bluenette calls out as she looks around, hoping that her eyes would be able to find the scrolls fast.

As she was doing that, she heard the sounds of the first clash taking place. It looked like Naruto had created some clones to speed up the search. Some of the other ninjas hadn't liked that too much and reacted.

"You might be Ninja God, but clones are easy to deal with!" A Sand Villager can be heard yelling in the distance as he sends a barrage of kunais flying at the clones.

He was far enough away that was certainly considered long range combat. Hinata knew what he was doing. He was hoping to distract Naruto while his teammates continued one. It was a clever idea. She wondered if it would actually work.

"Naruto is a brilliant warrior, but he's not that good at strategy." Bunta muses as the blonde takes the bait.

Damn. He did. Well she supposed it didn't really matter. Naruto could take care of himself. It wasn't like anyone here posed a real threat to him. Well other than Sasuke, but they were best friends. The lovable blonde would be alright and she knew it.

"Maybe not. While everyone is focused on him, the rest of his team can continue on." Hinata says.

"Damn that's a good point. Looks like the Hyuga Princess is more than just a pretty face. No wonder he was all over you." He muses.

SMACK! Aimi had just smacked Bunta. It seemed that he young ninja had had enough of her teammate's antics.

"Stop being a pig. Let's go. Hinata, can you tell the difference between the clones and the real Naruto?" She asks.

"Yes, I can. Why do you ask?" The bluenette inquires.

"We need to follow him. Naruto is one of the luckiest ninjas on the planet. If anyone is going to stumble upon a scroll, it's going to be him." She reasons.

Hinata privately couldn't disagree with that logic. Honestly, she had no idea how the man was even still alive. He should have been dead at least ten times over by now.

"Right!" She agrees as she locks onto the real Naruto and they all race off after him.

Meanwhile back at the Hyuga Estate, Mini Sasuke had wondered off. He was tired of everyone looking at him with sad eyes. Why did they look at him that way? It didn't make any sense.

He was fine. Well Sasuke was wondering why everyone was looking at him like he was terminally ill or something. Other than that he was happy. Well that and he wanted to go home. He really liked playing with Hinata, but his family had to be worried by now.

 _"I don't know if this is just a dream anymore. It's gone on so long."_ He mumbles as he sneaks out of the Hyuga Estate and starts making his way towards the Uchiha District.

He knew exactly how he was going to figure out what was going on. Sasuke had always kept a journal. Itachi had told him once that it was healthy to vent your frustrations, even if it was just to paper. Sasuke remembered that conversation well.

 _"Big brother, what are you doing?" Sasuke had asked when he was only five._

 _"I'm writing." Itachi said as he flicked his brother's forehead affectionately._

 _Sasuke still didn't understand why Itachi always did that. It was really annoying. He really wished that his brother would stop flicking his forehead! It was weird!_

 _"I know that! I mean what are you writing?" The younger Uchiha asked again._

 _"I'm just making some observations about my day. It's a diary. Well most men prefer to call them journals. It's amusing that they somehow think that makes doing the same activity sound more masculine." The smoky eyed ninja informed him._

 _Sasuke tilted his head to the side. He still didn't get it. And what did Itachi mean by journal sounded more masculine? It didn't make any sense to him. Well being a curious child, he wasn't going to stop until he got his question answered. So he pressed on._

 _"Why would you do that?" Sasuke asked._

 _"it's helpful to write things down so you don't forget about them and it can help you vent your frustrations in a healthy manner." Itachi told him._

 _"Oh. Aren't you worried that someone will read it? It sounds like it's something that should be kept secret." The young Uchiha observed._

 _Itachi poked Sasuke's forehead once again, much to his annoyance. Then he explained that he had a special jutsu in place. Only his chakra would allow the diary to open. He showed Sasuke how it worked._

 _"Oh that's cool!" Sasuke said happily and from that day on, he kept a record of his "observations."_

Sasuke knew that somewhere in his home there would be a diary. He might be younger now, but he still had the same chakra. Sasuke was going to find his diary and read it. Then he would figure out why everyone looked at him funny.

 _"Sasuke, where are you going?!"_ Hinata calls out as she races off after her friend.

 _"Hinata, what are you doing here?"_ Sasuke asks in confusion.

Hinata frowns. She remembered feeling really scared when she realized Sasuke wasn't around. So she used her Byakugan to find him and ended up in the Uchiha District.

 _"I was worried about you. You just disappeared. I thought you might be hurt!"_ She stammers out.

The young Uchiha smiles. That was Hinata for you. She was always worried about other people. She was nice. What wasn't nice though, was not knowing why everyone kept giving him those sad eyes!

 _"I'm okay. I'm just getting to the bottom of something."_ Sasuke tells her with a reassuring smile.

 _"What are you getting to the bottom of and can I help?"_ The shy heiress asks.

Sasuke considers this. She wouldn't be able to open his diary, but maybe she could help him find it. Maybe it was a good thing that his friend had followed him back to the Uchiha District.

 _"I'm looking for a navy blue book with golden pages."_ He tells her.

 _"Alright. I'm sure we can find it. What do you need the book for though? How will that help you get to the bottom of things?"_ She asks in confusion.

The raven haired boy sighs and explains everything to her. He didn't mind sharing secrets with Hinata. She was his friend. She was trustworthy. No one else was ever going to find out about his collection of observations though!

Back at the tournament, Gaara watches from his position in the stands. There were big screens all over the place. So it was a simple matter to watch.

The red head couldn't shake this feeling that something more sinister at play. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what. Over the years, he had learned to trust his instincts though. Right now, they were screaming at him that something was wrong.

"Don't look so tense. We'll figure out what is going on. Oh look, my village is performing rather well. Look at the village score!" Onoki says cheerfully.

Gaara glances at it and notes that they were doing well. With some pride, he notes that the Sand was slightly ahead of the Stone Village though. Probably because one of his villagers had the guts or recklessness to attack Naruto's clones. He hadn't expected that to happen.

"It is interesting to note the different strategies." Tsunade muses.

"I'm surprised that the teams are working so well together, when they are from mostly different villagers and they aren't fighting in a war together." Mei adds.

That was true. That was something of a relief. Gaara had to admit that he was worried after the war, things would go back to normal. That meant at best a fragile peace between the villages, but there would always be lingering hostilities and rivalries that were hidden just below the surface.

Maybe some good would come of this tournament. He wasn't entirely certain. It was possible that he was just being paranoid. Somehow, the Kazekage doubted that was the case though.

"Cinnamon Buns is doing rather well." The Raikage notes in amusement.

"Who on Earth is Cinnamon Buns?" Gaara asks in amusement in a tone of voice that suggested he wasn't entirely certain that he really wanted to know.

"The Leaf Villager with her hair in buns. Cinnamon Buns." He explains as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The Kazekage shakes his head and looks at the screen. While the nickname may have been eccentric, Gaara couldn't argue with the assessment. Tenten was doing well.

Damn that girl knew how to throw a lot of kunais quickly and with deadly accuracy. Fortunately for her opponents, she was aiming to knock them out. Not to kill them.

"Ha! Look at that! I got 500 points for that!" Tenten calls out to one of her teammates.

"That's a start, but look out!" The Mist Villager warns her and Tenten narrowly avoided getting slammed into a tree.

Damn it. Well she supposed that's what she got for being cocky. This really was a mad house. It made the Chunin Exams look almost normal in comparison.

She wasn't the only one with her hands full. Sasuke had summon Garuda and gotten on his back. His teammates were annoying to say the least. So he suggested that they split up into groups of three. Since there were only ten of them, that meant he was the odd man out.

Sasuke preferred it that way actually. He wasn't going to listen to their stupidity anymore. He couldn't believe that the Daimyos had essentially turned some of the most powerful ninjas in the world into scavenger hunters. It was insulting really.

"Garuda, see if you can find any of the scrolls." Sasuke says as he pats the giant hawk's head affectionately.

He smiles when he sees Hinata down below. Hmm. She was following Naruto. That was smart. If anyone would be lucky enough to just stumble on the scrolls, it would be him.

Her Byakugan was activated, but that was hardly surprising. It was the smart move. Idly, he wondered what her range was with that thing.

"She can probably see far with it. Hinata wouldn't be the heiress, if she didn't have an exceptional Byakugan." He muses to himself.

As he was thinking this over, he saw that one of her teammates was running behind her. He had raised a kunai and was about to toss it at her. Idiot.

"She has nearly 360 degree vision. I hope she kills him." Sasuke mutters in annoyance.

Sure enough, Hinata turned around. His future wife locks up that sucker's chakra points Hella fast. Sasuke smirks. That was the future mother of his children, right there!

That didn't mean that he wasn't going to slit that fucker's throat when no one was looking though. How dare he?! She was his teammate and more importantly, she was his Lily. Thankfully, this tournament didn't disqualify you for killing. As long as he didn't give the idiot a chance to yield, it would be alright.

"Bunta! What the Hell were you thinking?!" Aimi demands.

"The Hyuga Princess's individual score was going to be high and she wasn't going to have her lover find us the scrolls. It was better just to knock her out." He grunts in pain.

Hinata bites her lower lip. It went against her every instinct to attack a teammate, but it was self-defense. She had no choice.

"You dishonored your village. I'm not sure if they will disqualify you or not, but you had better hope they do." Hinata says.

God help him, if Sasuke found out what he had tried to do. The bluenette shivers as she imagines it. Her boyfriend could be rather scary when he wanted to be. He wouldn't take kindly to one of her own teammates attacking her.

"Pft! They said that we had individual scores. They wouldn't do that, if they didn't expect us to attack our teammates!" Bunta says.

His watch goes red. He lost a thousand points. The main was now in the negatives. High negatives.

"It looks like attacking a teammate isn't a disqualification, but it will cost you." Aimi muses.

A few hundred yards away, Naruto groans. Damn that Sand Villager was persistent. He didn't really want to have to hurt him. Gaara would likely be pissed, if he did. Besides, he was just doing what any good ninja should do in a situation like this.

"Well you've got guts. I'll give you that, but you are way out of your league." The blonde says.

"I know that, but that doesn't change my mission. I'm going to help my team get those scrolls and if that means fighting you, that's what I'll do." He states simply.

Naruto sighs. He had said similar things to opponents that were supposed to his superiors before. The blue eyed ninja couldn't help but take a moment to glance at the foreign ninja more closely and assess him.

He had sandy blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. The man was young. Perhaps a year or two younger than Naruto and had a medium build.

"You're brave. I'll give you that much. I'll try not to kick your ass too much." Naruto says with cheeky grin and the two charge at each other.

Soon the clash of their kunais can be heard ringing throughout the forest. Naruto wouldn't use jutsus on this guy. That wouldn't be fair. Besides, he was having fun.

Meanwhile Kakashi was flitting through the forest. He knew this place like the back of his head. The Leaf Villagers certainly had an advantage when it came to being familiar with the terrain.

"If I were the Daimyos, I would hide the scrolls in plain sight." The silver haired ninja muses.

"That's a good point, Kakashi!" Guy exclaims.

The CopyCat Ninja smacks his forehead. He loved his friend. Guy was a wonderful comrade and a good man, but he was a little eccentric to put it mildly. It was times like these that made that fact abundantly clear.

"Guy, we aren't on the same team." He reminds him.

"Oh I know. We are at 49-47 though. You have the advantage, but I won't lose again. I can still win this series of contests!" He says happily.

Kakashi just shakes his head in amusement. Some things would truly never change. Guy's competitiveness was simply one of them. Though if he was being completely honest with himself, he enjoyed their competitions just as much as the spandex lover.

"Alright. Have it your way then." The Jonin says as the two of them begin to face off.

While that was going on, the Daimyos meet in secret. Everything was going to plan. The tournament had started and so far no one seemed to know the real reason why it had been created.

"None of them suspect a thing." The Fire Daimyo muses.

"Doesn't look like it. I figure that the village and individual scores should play off their naturally competitive natures." The Water Daimyo states.

The Lightning Daimyo nods his head in agreement. Yes, that was a stroke of genius. Despite uniting during the war, there were still centuries of old hostilities buried underneath the surface. It would be a simple matter of unearthing them and using these hostilities to distract them long enough to carry out their plans.

"How long do you think we should allow the tournament to go on before we act?" The Earth Daimyo inquires.

There was a pregnant pause between all five Daimyos. That was a very good question. Naturally, they all wanted to act as swiftly as possible. Still it was necessary to let the tournament play out to a certain degree.

"I would say at least tonight. Though it may be necessary to allow it to continue for a week." The Wind Daimyo answers after a few agonizingly slow minutes passed by.

"That's true. We'll let it play out for tonight and revaluate things in the morning." The Fire Daimyo says.

Their plan was quite simple. While all the ninjas were focused on the tournament, they would deploy their insects. The ninjas would simply think they had gotten bitten by a mosquito or something of that nature, but in reality that wouldn't be the case.

In reality, a small chip would be installed into all of them. The Daimyos had seen what happened during the War. The Ninjas had acted without much of their input and had won the day. They now had a hero in Naruto, the Kages, and some other ninjas that had served with distinction.

"It's unpleasant that we had to resort to such distasteful methods, but we had no other choice." The Water Daimyo states.

It was only a matter of time before the ninjas became more willful. They'd become more rebellious. The Daimyos could see this coming from a mile away and had decided to act before things got out of hand.

They controlled the ninjas. The ninjas were the pinnacle of their military might. Naturally, the Daimyos couldn't allow them to get any silly ideas about being completely autonomous. That simply wouldn't do at all.

"It's a good plan. This will work." The Lighting Daimyo says.

It was better to strike now. The ninjas' guards would be down. All of them were still celebrating the victory from the war and this tournament would distract them. Controlling the most powerful ninjas from the five great nations would be a great start.

There was also an added benefit. They would likely be able to install chips in most of the crowd as well. Yes, it was a brilliant plan and the Daimyos were rather pleased with themselves for coming up with it.

"Well I have to admit that it's been highly entertaining, if nothing else. Who would have thought that the last Uchiha would be carrying a torch for a Hyuga?" The Earth Daimyo wonders out loud.

"Yes, I hadn't anticipated that. Imagine what the children will be like?" The Fire Daimyo replies in kind.

He idly wondered if they would have the Sharingan, Byakugan, some of their children would have Sharingans and others Byakugans, or if an entirely new bloodline would be created. Either way, it was sure to be advantages. Yes, this was a most fortunate turn of events indeed!

What the Fire Daimyo didn't realize is not all the other Daimyo were thrilled about that development. It would give the Leaf Village an unfair advantage. The Water and Earth Daimyos each had plans to encourage the happy couple to move to their respective nations.

"Formidable, I should imagine. Judging by how passionately they were kissing, I don't think children are all that far off." The Wind Daimyo observes.

The Fire Daimyo nods his head in agreement. It was likely only a matter of time. It wasn't entirely unreasonable that it could happen before another year flew by.

"Most likely not. Well it certainly looks like the competition is heating up. Ballsy move on the Sand's part to target Naruto in such a provocative fashion. That kid is fearless." He muses.

The Daimyos all glance back at the tv. The tournament was just starting and already everyone was going all out. This was going to be one Hell of a show. Surely, this would distract all the ninjas suitably well enough that they would be able to put their plans into motion. They couldn't possibly fail. It was all going according to plan.


	17. Chapter 17

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 17

Sasuke watches as the night falls and the contestants all settled down for the night. After all, they couldn't be attacked during this time without their attacker being disqualified. They were safe.

Naturally, he reaches over some popcorn and he realizes the bowl was suspiciously still half full. Two hungry children would have polished it off by now. It had been several hours.

 **"Sasuke? Hinata?"** He calls out and frowns when he didn't receive a response.

That got his wife's attention. She looks around and begins to panic when she doesn't see them either. This was bad. This was very bad.

 **"Oh God. They must have run off. BYAKUGAN!"** She cries and the bluenette looks around anxiously for the children.

Sasuke bites his lower lip. He could only hope they weren't insane enough to go to the tournament. It was to be expected that the Minis would be curious about it. Anyone would be, but if they were seen that would cause complete chaos!

 **"Are they still on Estate Grounds?"** Her husband asks anxiously.

Hinata shakes her head. Wherever they had gone, they weren't inside the Hyuga Estate. Damn it. Her blood suddenly runs cold at the thought that they might be on their way to the tournament.

 **"No. We need to go outside. They aren't inside. Do you think that they would be foolish enough to go to the tournament?"** The mother of four inquires anxiously.

 **"I want to say no, but they are only seven and curiosity is a powerful force."** He replies and they head outside.

The young woman nods as they leave the Hyuga Estate. She kept looking, but she still couldn't see them. Where could they have possibly gone?

 **"They knew we were distracted by the tournament. Where would they while we were distracted? Besides, the tournament."** She whispers.

Sasuke's eyes widen. Damn it. He hoped he was wrong, but somehow he doubted it. Now he was almost certain that he knew where they had run off to. The Uchiha District.

 **"I think they went back to my home. We need to hurry. Mini Sasuke might be looking for my diary."** Sasuke says as he rushes off towards the Uchiha District.

 **"You keep a diary?"** Hinata asks in disbelief.

She had been married to the man for years and had four children with him. Despite all that, the Leaf Ninja had no idea that her husband kept a diary. It just didn't seem very Sasuke-like.

 **"Hinata, that's really not the point. If he reads that, he'll know everything. Well it depends which part he reads really. He might be seven, but his reading comprehension is high enough to understand the content. His mind is too young and innocent to process all of it though. We have to hurry!"** The Uchiha Patriarch tells her.

Hinata nods. He was right of course. It still surprised her that her husband kept a diary. She never would have thought him the type to write about his feelings.

 **"I know, but I'm in it right?"** She asks.

 **"Of course, you're in it. Hinata, you're my wife."** Sasuke mutters and he skids to a halt once they arrive in the Uchiha District.

 **"What did you write about me?"** The bluenette questions as they come to a complete stop.

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement. He supposed it was only natural that she'd be inquisitive after finding out about his diary. Still now was definitely not the time. They had to find their youngest counterparts and prevent a disaster from happening.

 **"I may have mentioned that I appreciated the fact that your legs are so flexible. Amongst other things."** The eldest Sasuke informs her and he darts inside the house.

 **"Oh well that's not so bad. Wait. Really? That's the first thing that comes to your mind when you write about me?!"** She demands.

Sasuke shakes his head. He couldn't believe that they were having this discussion. Well apparently they were. He sighs and decides he better come up with something good.

 **"I did say amongst other things. You are also a wonderful mother and my best friend. I did go on at length about those topics as well."** The raven haired ninja says.

That seems to pacify his wife somewhat. Sasuke knew that he had really dodged the kunai there. Hinata could be surprisingly fiery for such a kind and gentle woman when she wanted to be. Idly, he muses that he must have rubbed off on her at some point.

Meanwhile back at the tournament, Sasuke's team settles down for the night. They had found an emerald scroll. All of them were pretty happy about that fact. Surprisingly, it had been Isabella that got it.

"Good work." He says as he lights a campfire for them with a minor fireball jutsu.

"Thank you." Isabella says with a smile and while batting her eyelashes at him.

Sasuke just shakes his head. That just simply wasn't going to happen. It wouldn't have happened even if he wasn't love with Hinata. She was foreign and would either have to move to the Leaf or vice versa. He wasn't going to do a vice versa. He owed it to Itachi to protect the Leaf. (And he doubted she'd leave her village.)

That and well as far as he was concerned, no woman was actually going to be able to compete with Hinata. He wasn't just saying that because he knew that she was his wife in the future. Sasuke was saying that because she was the only person who didn't judge him, she was unfailingly kind, brave, loyal, and strong. Oh and the fact that she looked amazing in red lace didn't hurt.

"Well one down. Four to go." Kanzo says.

Sasuke nods in agreement. He would love nothing more than to end this tournament quickly. He'd rather be back at the Hyuga Estate or rebuilding the Uchiha District. He had a family to prepare for after all.

He had grown used to being around Hinata's family. He even liked most of them, but Sasuke was a realist. They were going to need some actual privacy, if they were going to get any further than kissing and looking.

"Keep track of where you see fires. In the morning, we attack at first light. At least one of them is likely to have another scroll and gem." Sasuke reasons.

His teammates nod in agreement. Sasuke might not like them, but they weren't stupid. While they were no Team Seven, they knew better than to argue with him.

Elsewhere in the Forest of Death, Shino was also settling down for the night with his team. One of his butterflies returns to him. He frowns as he listens to it.

"What's going on?" He asks softly.

The butterfly was clearly highly distressed about something. She was barely understandable. According to her, she had seen more insects lurking around than was usual.

Shino did his best to comfort the beautiful insect. She was uneasy though. If he had learned one thing over the years, it was that insects had highly honed survival instincts. That was why they thrived almost everywhere. If the butterfly was nervous, there was likely a very good reason for them to be.

"Shino, what's going on?" A Cloud Villager asks once they realized that Shino had gone even more quiet than usual.

Quite honestly, the Leaf Ninja creeped him out. Shino was far too quiet and his summons were bugs. He hated creepy crawlies. Yuck. Still he knew that the other man was a skilled ninja and if they were going to win this tournament, that is exactly what his team needed to win.

"My insects are spooked about something. They seem to think there are more bugs around than usual." The Leaf Ninja informs him.

"Well it is forest. So that's only natural." His teammate reasons.

"I think it's more than that, but I don't have anything concrete yet. Be on guard." Shino warns him.

Meanwhile Hinata was with her team and they were settling down for the night. They had managed to find a diamond, but that was it. She idly checks the rankings to see where they stood.

It wasn't that she particularly cared about winning this contest. Mostly, she just needed something to do. Something to distract her from what had happened earlier. Bunta had attacked her!

"Sasuke's probably going to try to kill him, if he finds out." She says as she glances at the rankings.

She was doing well individually. Unfortunately, her team had taken a pretty big hit thanks to Bunta's antics. The Leaf overall was doing great. She noticed that individual, team, and village rankings were all over the map. No one was exactly way out in front though some were trailing badly.

"I wish this was over." She whispers.

She and Sasuke had finally begun to make real progress and then this stupid tournament hit. A tournament which she was almost certain wasn't nearly as benevolent as people wanted them to think. To say the least, she was one frustrated Hyuga woman.

"You alright?" Aimi asks as she walks over to Hinata.

The bluenette says. It was obvious that the other woman felt a bit guilty about what happened. Maybe Aimi thought that she should have seen it coming. Hinata didn't know.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I was just looking at the rankings. Bunta really cost us." She says.

Hinata didn't like to lie. That's why she didn't do it much now. She had been looking at the rankings and their hot headed teammate had cost them a thousand points. That just wasn't all that was on her mind. Aimi didn't need to know that though.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about what happened to you. That wasn't cool what he did." Aimi says and Hinata nods in agreement.

It most certainly wasn't cool. That was alright though. At the moment, she was more worried about what Sasuke was going to do to Bunta for attempting to take her life, than worried about her own.

"This is crazy." Naruto says once he and his teammates make camp.

Thankfully, Lee and Kiba were with him. So he knew a couple people. That made things a bit easier.

"Yeah. It is, but we are totally going to win. I feel bad for Hinata though. She wasn't put on the winning team." Kiba says smugly.

The ninjas from other villages on their team, were mostly ignoring them. That meant that they could speak freely and bond as Leaf Ninjas. The blonde was pretty happy about that and thankful that Kiba was acting like well Kiba. It was comforting really.

"Yeah. Me too. Same for Sasuke. Oh well. I'm sure we are going to win this. Believe it!" The blue eyed ninja calls out excitedly.

"The power of youth is on our side, but Hinata and Sasuke have the power of love on theirs. How did that happen anyway?" Lee asks good-naturedly and Kiba twitches.

He was still less than thrilled about it. Kiba couldn't believe that Hinata had ended up with Sasuke of all people. Still he knew that there was very little he could do about that fact now. Hinata was a grown woman and could make her own decisions. (That didn't mean that he had to like it though!)

"Is something wrong, friend Kiba?" The spandex lover asks in confusion.

"No. Nothing." Kiba lies through gritted teeth and tries to calm down.

He was going to need to keep his head, if they were all going to win. Yeah. That was it. He'd show Sasuke up by having their team beat his and maybe he'd get a higher score than the Uchiha. After all, the man had a Hell of a temper. That was bound to cost him points!

Meanwhile Mini Sasuke and Hinata had found the Middle Sasuke's diary. Their eyes widened at what they read. This couldn't possibly be true, could it?

 **Dear Diary,**

 **I find myself at a loss. Finally, I did it. I avenged my Clan. I should be happy. I should feel victorious. At the very least, I should feel relieved that Itachi can't hurt anyone else, but I don't.**

 **Now I know the truth. Itachi found out that my Clan was planning a coup against the Leaf. The Leaf acted. Had my family been successful in taking over the village, other villages likely would have attacked. This would have started another Great Ninja War.**

 **Itachi knew this. So he acted. He chose the rest of the ninja world over our family. My heart still aches for our kin, but I can understand why he did it. I just killed the only person who was still alive that loved me unconditionally. I feel…empty.**

Mini Sasuke stares at the book in horror. He didn't know why, but he kept rereading the page. That couldn't be right! It couldn't be!

He had tried to convince himself that this was all just a dream. Some days he was successful and some days he wasn't. Now Sasuke understood why everyone always looked at him with pity. It was because of this.

 _"Sasuke, I'm so sorry."_ Hinata stammers as she reaches for him.

 _"It's not your fault, Hinata. It's THEIR fault."_ He says as white hot silent tears stream down his cheeks.

Hinata sighs as she hugs him closely. Poor Sasuke. He had just found out that he was all alone in the future. He didn't have to be though. She wouldn't abandon her friend.

 _"It's not your fault and it doesn't have to end like that this time. You know what would have happened. Now you can fix it."_ She says with a reassuring smile.

Sasuke blinks as he considers that. Yes, he could fix it! He couldn't bring his family back, but maybe he could save Itachi. That and he would make whoever forced Itachi to slaughter their Clan pay. He'd make them pay big time.

He'd get big and really strong. Then it would be their loved ones who would walk in on them laying in a pool of THEIR blood. Let's see how they liked it! The Leaf was run by filthy murderers who didn't even have the decency to do their own dirty work. He'd be doing the world a favor by slitting their throats.

 _"Yeah. You're right. We'll do better this time."_ Sasuke says.

 **"Sasuke! Hinata!"** Sasuke calls out as he and Hinata search the house for them.

Thinking quickly, Hinata hides the book. She knew that if their older selves knew that they knew, it would ruin everything. They'd never be able to change the future, if that was the case.

 _"We're in here."_ The bluenette replies after safely hiding it.

 **"Oh thank God. We were both so worried about the two of you. You can't just go running off like that. Are you okay? Sasuke, have you been crying?"** Hinata asks.

Sasuke nods sadly. He tries his best to look like the same boy he had on the night of the Massacre. The one who had lost everything. It must have worked because soon the eldest Hinata was embracing him tightly and trying to comfort him.

 _"Yes. I just realized th-at this isn't just a dream. That my family is r-eally gone."_ Sasuke wails.

 **"I'm so sorry. I know it's hard now, but it does get better. It just takes a long time for it to get better, but I swear that it does."** Sasuke says as he embraces his younger self.

Truthfully, the Minis did feel a little guilty about lying to their older selves. Well maybe they weren't actually lying. It was more like weren't telling them the full truth. Still they knew that they had to.

Things would be so much better this way. An innocent man would haven't to die. Sasuke would at least have his brother. Yes, this was for the best. At least that was their justification in their young minds.

 **"Come on. Let's get you both back home. You must be starving. I noticed that you didn't finish your popcorn and that's hardly a meal."** Hinata says kindly.

The children nod and allow themselves to be lead off. Both of them were enormously relieved that their older selves had bought their excuses. Finally, they had managed to outsmart them. The Minis couldn't help but feel more than a little proud at that knowledge.

Back in the "Kage Box," the Kages were heading back to their hotel rooms for the night. It had been a long day and there wasn't really much of a point in watching the teams sleep. So naturally, they were all eager to head off.

"So what do you think?" Tsunade asks the red head as they walk into the hotel.

"I think that Bunta is a dead man. He tried to kill Hinata while her back was turned. He had better hope that Kiba, Shino, or Naruto find him first. I shudder to think of what the Uchiha is planning to do in retaliation for that move." The red head replies.

Despite the dangerous situation that they now all found themselves in, the busty blonde couldn't help but laugh. Everything that the Kazekage had just said was true. Perhaps that is what made it so funny.

"That's true, but I was speaking in more general terms." She clarifies.

Gaara sighs. He honestly didn't know. He had a bad feeling about the tournament. Still he didn't have any evidence that it was malicious in its design. Without evidence, there was nothing to be gained by making his suspicions publicly known.

That would only result in a panic. Public panics never helped to make things better. They only made things worse. So he decides that the best thing to do would be to wait and try to gather evidence. There was no need to incite hysteria, before he even really knew what was going on.

"I have a bad feeling. I have nothing conclusive though. What of yourself?" The Kazekage inquires.

"I find myself alternating between thinking the same thing and blaming it on paranoia. This is quite a lot of expense and trouble to go through merely to encourage international cooperation. The war was a far more effective way to encourage that and most people are still feeling goodwill towards foreign ninjas because of it." The medic reasons.

Gaara nods in agreement. The excuse that they had given for the tournament did seem flimsy at best. He also knew that this had been in the works for awhile. This level of grandness didn't happen overnight.

They clearly had been planning this for months. Perhaps even year. That's what really gave him pause.

"I suppose there is nothing we can do, but wait and see at this point. As much as it pains me to say that, I see no alternative." He admits.

"I reluctantly must agree. Good night, Lord Kazekage. Sleep well." Tsunade says as she heads off towards her room and Gaara does the same.

He felt rather powerless at the moment. There was nothing the Kazekage could do. All he could do is wait and that troubled him.

Gaara heads into his room and quickly gets into his bed. He doubted he'd actually sleep, but he'd try. While there was no longer a threat of a demonic possession looming over his head if he chose to sleep, old habits died hard. He was still a major insomniac. The red head didn't think that was likely to ever change really.

"This is the height of insanity." He mutters to himself as he closes his eyes.

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep. He felt a slight prick to the back of his neck. Gaara grumbles and slaps away the offending insect. As if he didn't already have enough problems, now he had to deal with bugs?!

"That's one." The Water Daimyo says from the conference room.

The Daimyos had all placed cameras in the Kages' rooms. It was the easiest way to keep track of them. Thankfully, Gaara had just been "bitten." That chip was now installed.

"Aren't you worried that his sand will remove it?" The Earth Daimyo inquires.

"No. I don't think that will be a problem. We have done months of testing on these devices. They are completely chakra resistant. The devices had to be, if they were going to be effective." The Fire Daimyo points out.

The Wind Daimyo nods approvingly at this. Good. It would all be for naught, if the devices didn't work because of some ninjas' special abilities.

"Good. I think the insects will have no trouble implanting the chip into the other Kages then. Gaara was the one that I was most concerned about." He states bluntly.

Sure enough, the insects one by one continued their work. By the end of the night, every Kage had a chip in their neck. None of them were aware of this, but that was what made it all the sweeter in the minds of the Daimyos.

After all, what was a better pawn than a person who didn't realize they were a pawn? As far as they were concerned, everything was going to plan. Soon enough they would reestablish their control.

"Well it looks as though we have the Kages. The first day of the tournament was a success." The Water Daimyo muses.

"Yes, we got all the Kages. That was a very important first step. We mustn't let our guard down though. These people are not to be underestimated. If they were left unchecked, they might have very well challenged the natural order of things." The Earth Daimyo replies.

All the Daimyos nod their heads at this solemnly. It wasn't that they had anything against the Ninja Villages. Really, this wasn't personal. It was just business.

They couldn't have their weapons getting crazy ideas. It was only a matter of time before the ninja villages challenged their authority. They were just taking the proper precautions necessary to ensure that wouldn't happen.

"Excellent work. We should probably head to the stands now. The tournament will start again in about an hour and we can beat the rush." The Fire Daimyo says.

The other Daimyos nod in agreement. One by one, they made their way to the stands. One of the most important parts of being a leader was knowing when to make public appearances. This was simply one of those times.

"Here is to a new era." The Earth Daimyo says as all the Daimyos clink their glasses in a toast.

"Yes, to a new era!" They all cry out joyfully together.


	18. Chapter 18

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 18

"Have you seen Bunta?" Hinata asks Aimi when the morning dawned and the various teams were just starting to prepare for the battles ahead.

"I think he said he went out to find us some water." She replies.

Hinata shakes her head. Most likely, he just wanted to get away from the rest of their teammates and her. He had cost everyone a lot of points and she was far from the only one who wasn't happy with him. He knew that.

"Alright. I'm sure that he'll be back soon." The Hyuga Heiress says.

"Are you sure that you want him back? I mean the man tried to kill you while your back was turned. I think he's proven to be pretty untrustworthy. No one would blame you, if you wanted to just leave him behind." The other woman says.

"I'm not vindictive like that. I know why he did what he did. It doesn't mean I trust him or I'll consider him a friend. In his mind though, he thought he was helping his village. I can't fault him for wanting his village to win, even if his deeds were evil." The Leaf Ninja explains.

Aimi shakes her head. If she was in Hinata's position, she wouldn't have been nearly as forgiving. Though she supposed that the Hyuga Princess had to be forgiving, she was with Sasuke Uchiha after all. That man had left quite the trail of bodies in his wake. Bunta was an angel in comparison.

Meanwhile Bunta was leaving over a stream and collecting some water. He knew that he was in trouble. His teammates at best were annoyed that he had cost them a lot of points. At worst, they were likely going to abandon him the moment it became convenient.

"That was smart of you. You left your teammates behind when you knew that I would come after you. That's unexpectedly gallant." He hears an all too familiar voice say.

Bunta's blood ran cold. No! Not now! Damn it! This forest was massive. What were the odds that the Uchiha would find him and so quickly?

"I was just getting water. That's all." He stammers nervously and tries to back up.

"I'm not. I think that I made it rather clear at the beginning of this tournament that she was mine. Only someone with a death wish would have tried to kill her. You might as well have run straight into my sword, if you were truly that suicidal. It doesn't matter now though. You were obviously outclassed. You couldn't even kill her when her back was turned. You're that weak." Sasuke says as he activates his Sharingan and Rinnagan.

He didn't need to do that. Sasuke realized he was being overdramatic on some level, but he liked the results. That look of utter terror in Bunta's eyes was beyond priceless. Bunta wasn't worthy of seeing either bloodline, but the raven haired ninja decided his amusement was more important than that fact at the moment.

"I'm so-rry. It was stupid of me. It won't happen again. She's forgiven me. Besides, do you really want to make your girlfriend have a nine person team, while everyone else has t-en people?" Bunta asks nervously.

"I've always been a big believer in quality over quantity. You're DEAD weight." Sasuke says and he flits over to Bunta faster than the other man could blink and shoves his sword straight through his heart.

He falls to the ground lifelessly, the second Sasuke released his body. The Uchiha had wanted to make him suffer more, but Sasuke was a practical man. If he drug it out, Bunta might have yielded.

Sasuke would have killed him anyway. Then he would have been disqualified. The young man didn't really care about winning the tournament, but he wanted to find out what was really going on. Being disqualified would make that difficult. So he wasn't going to allow that to happen.

"Damn. Well at least he was courteous enough to die by a stream." Sasuke mutters as he washes the blood off of his sword.

No way was he going to allow his sword to stay defiled by his filthy blood for long. He had far more respect for his weapon than that. His lips curl in disgust at Bunta's corpse.

"Traitors don't get proper burials." Sasuke says as he races back to his team.

Back in the Kage Box, the Kages watch as the tournament begins to start up again. Gaara glances at the screen and blinks when he saw Sasuke kill Bunta. Clever.

"He didn't give him a chance to yield. It appears that Sasuke's feelings for Hinata are rather sincere. Sincere enough for him to kill on her behalf." The red head observes.

"That is surprising. It's romantic in a morbid way." Mei says cheerfully.

Tsunade shakes her head. Only Mei would think it was romantic that someone killed for you. Honestly, the woman needed to pull her head out of the clouds. If anything, this should be concerning.

"I knew that his feelings for her were genuine. They were clearly growing closer while he was in the hospital getting his arm transplant. I just didn't realize the extent to which that he would go to her, until now." The busty blonde admits.

"This is going to be potentially problematic in the future." Onoki says.

Gaara raises an eyebrow. He wasn't entirely certain what the Stone Kage meant by that. He didn't like the sound of it though. That sounded rather ominous.

"What do you mean by that?" The red head demands.

"The Uchiha wants to restore his Clan. Now that he has a lover, it's really only a matter of time before they have children. Sasuke already possesses the Sharingan and Rinnegan, in addition to his already formidable abilities. Hinata is a Hyuga. She has a Byakugan and the ability to drain someone's chakra. If the children were to take after both of their parents, they would be…formidable." The elderly ninja points out.

That gave the Kazekage pause. He hadn't really though that far ahead. Honestly, he was just in shock that the Uchiha was even capable of being attracted to someone. Not only that, but Sasuke apparently didn't have any problem with public displays of affection. Onoki was correct though. The Uchiha would eventually want children.

"What should we do about this situation?" The Raikage inquires.

"You will do nothing. They are Leaf Villagers. As such they are under MY jurisdiction. If any of you interfere, I will consider it an act of war. Have I made myself clear?" Tsunade snaps at them.

The other Kages wisely go silent. None of them wanted to get on her bad side. All of them knew what Tsunade was capable of.

"That's better." She mutters as she watches the screen.

The medic couldn't really believe this was happening. An international tournament and the most unlikely match she had ever seen were both playing out before her very eyes in real time. This was insanity.

She knew that the other Kages were right to be concerned. Genetically, any children that Hinata and Sasuke might have together were going to be akin to ticking time bombs. The busty blonde sighs and hopes that they took after Hinata in temperament.

If they took after Sasuke in that regard, they were all doomed. Well she mentally corrects that. If they took after Sasuke from a year or two ago, they were all doomed. Hinata really was working wonders on that man. She could almost believe that Sasuke was going to "behave" long-term.

"Please let this work." She whispers under her breath.

She couldn't rightly forbid them from being together or having children. Sasuke had paid for all his crimes. He was a free citizen to do whatever he wanted. If Hinata was willing to be with him and start a family with the last Uchiha, well Tsunade couldn't legally stop them.

Idly, she wasn't sure if she should call him the last Uchiha. There were two other Sasuke's running around. Still they were the same person, just at different ages. Maybe it was still accurate to call him the last one?

"Tsunade, are you alright? You look a little dazed." Gaara asks in a concerned fashion.

"Oh yes. I was just thinking. I suppose my mind wandered away from me for a moment there. Nothing to be concerned about." The blonde assures him.

Gaara looked less than convinced, but he didn't press further. That was one of the things that she liked best about the red head. He wasn't nearly as pushy as most of the other current Kages were.

She smiles as she notices that Gaara's attention had already gone back to the screens. The Kazekage seemed to be paying an unusual amount of attention towards a certain Weapon Mistress. Well that was unexpected.

Unexpected, but good news. If anyone needed love in his life, it was Gaara. She just hoped that if he acted on his developing feelings, it would work out somehow. Tenten was still grieving Neji's loss, after all.

Back at the Hyuga Estate, the Minis had just finished eating with their older selves. Currently, they were all watching the tournament again. Hiashi was as well.

The man wouldn't come out and say this directly, but it was obvious he was worried. He was worried for his daughter. Any good father would be.

 **"You know that pacing won't help. It will be alright. We made it out just fine. The same will be true for our younger counterparts."** Sasuke tries to reassure him.

"I know that in my head. It doesn't change what my heart feels though." The Hyuga Patriarch replies.

Sasuke nods sympathetically. He was just glad that now everyone knew he and Hinata were together. They no longer had to hide their true feelings for each other. That meant that he could at least wrap his arm around her as they watched the tournament.

He wouldn't have been as relaxed, if he had known that the timeline had just been altered in a big way. Mini Sasuke now knew the truth. He frowns as he watches the tournament and listens to the Minis converse.

 _"Itachi would have won it easily."_ He mutters.

 _"Maybe, but I'm sure that the Leaf will do well. We are competing, sorta. You're just as strong as Itachi now."_ Hinata reassures him.

Sasuke smiles. He wasn't sure if that was true or not. The youngest Uchiha hadn't read about HOW his older self had killed Itachi. He'd just knew that he had. Did he win because he was stronger or because he got lucky? He didn't know. Still it was nice of Hinata to say that.

Hinata was always nice. He'd never seen her be mean to anyone. She wasn't even mean to the loser. (And Naruto deserved it.)

 _"Thanks!"_ Sasuke says brightly as Hiashi inwardly groans.

Oh dear God. It was already starting. The signs were there. He was convinced now more than ever that someone up there truly despised him. Why else would he have Sasuke Uchiha as his future son-in-law? That was the only logical explanation.

 **"You just killed Bunta again."** Hinata whispers.

 **"Good. I wish I had been able to drag that one out more. He was a coward. He attacked you from behind. Unfortunately, I couldn't give him the slow death that he deserved. He might have yielded, if I did that."** The raven haired man says.

Well that was one point that Hiashi Hyuga agreed with Sasuke on. Bunta certainly deserved to die. He also believed that the man should have died more slowly. He consoled himself with the fact that the treacherous scum was now dead. It didn't really matter all that much how he died.

 **"Sasuke, you know that I'm glad you cared enough about me to kill him. But you aren't that person anymore. You shouldn't get some sort of thrill out of causing others pain."** The bluenette gently chides him.

 **"I don't. Well I usually don't. He was an exception. Anyone that hurts you is an exception."** Sasuke says smugly and Hinata just shakes her head.

She loved Sasuke. She truly did. The mother of four knew that it was important to call him on it when he started to revert back to "Sound Sasuke." There were moments here and there, where she worried for him.

It wasn't entirely his fault. He had experienced so much trauma. To this day, she only knew bits and pieces about what had happened to him while he was in the Sound Village and while he was traveling with Team Taka. But she knew enough to know it had been brutal. Anyone would have been psychologically scarred, if they had to deal with even a fraction of what her husband had been through.

 **"That's sweet in a twisted way."** Hinata says as she kisses his cheek.

Mini Hinata tilts her head and copies her older self. It was almost comical how wide Mini Sasuke's eyes went and how he touched his cheek. That was the point at which Hiashi politely excused himself.

"I think I'm going to need some sake. Lots and lots of sake." He mutters in exasperation.

A few hours later, the tournament was still in full swing. Hinata had managed to find Sasuke. Her Byakugan could be quite useful at times like these. He couldn't see her. She was too far away to be out of his range of vision, but he wasn't out of hers.

She cautiously races towards him and suppresses her chakra. The bluenette figured that he would try to stay out of her sight during the tournament to protect her. She needed to talk to him though.

"That's a little insulting really. You didn't think that it would be that easy to sneak up on me, did you?" She hears Sasuke ask as the Uchiha she was looking at turns into a log and the real Sasuke wraps his arms around her from behind.

"Well m-aybe." She mumbles and blushes slightly.

Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Damn it. She really should have known better. It was a good thing that he was her boyfriend and not an enemy ninja right now. She would be dead, if that hadn't been the case.

"And that's why you are a white lily. You're so innocent." Sasuke says with a smile and kisses her cheek.

Speaking of innocent, was that the scent of blood she caught on him? Uh oh. Had Sasuke killed someone or gotten into a fight?

"I'm not that inn-ocent. I'm a ninja too. Sasuke, why do you smell like blood? Are you hurt?" She asks in concern.

She knew that was a stalling tactic. The only one who posed a serious threat to Sasuke here was Naruto or maybe herself. If she got the first shot in at him, she could drain his chakra. That would be something of a miracle, but it was possible.

"I'm not hurt. It's a tournament. It's only natural that there would be some combat going on. I'm fine though." Sasuke tells her.

"Did you kill whoever it was?" She asks nervously.

"Yes, I did. They didn't yield. As long a they don't yield, you can fight to the death. I didn't give him a chance to yield. He tried to hurt you. He deserved it." Sasuke says as he turns her around and caresses her cheek.

Hinata didn't really know how she felt about that. She was glad that Sasuke cared about her so much. Her boyfriend hadn't broken any rules technically. Still she wasn't too happy about having someone's blood on her hands.

She hadn't killed Bunta, but he was dead because of her. That was a distinction without much of a difference, in her mind. One that was going to weigh heavily on her heart for awhile.

"Sasuke, you didn't have to kill him." She says.

"Yes, I did. He's already proven that he was willing to stab you in the back. I wasn't going to give him a second chance. I love you and I'm not going to let some second or third rate ninja kill you." Sasuke tells her and kisses her forehead.

Hinata smiles. She believed him when he said that. Sasuke was a rather honest person. Sometimes he was brutally honest actually. If he said he loved her, he did.

"I love you too. I just don't want you to lose yourself when you don't have to. Hopefully, this tournament will be over soon. I hope that Bunta is the last one that has to die over this." She says.

Sasuke sighs and wraps his arms more tightly around her. She was just too damn pure to be involved in something like this. Honestly, he got the impression she'd probably feel guilty for accidentally stepping on an ant or something.

Speaking of ants, was that Shino approaching them? Hmm something was up. Shino wasn't stupid enough to attack them dead on. Well at least Sasuke didn't think that the insect lover was. (It wasn't as though they had ever actually spoken to each other much before.)

"Hinata, Sasuke. I'm glad that I found you." Shino says as bounds over to them.

"Shino! It's good to see you. Are you alright?" Hinata asks her teammate in concern.

Shino noted that she didn't bother to move out of Sasuke's embrace. He supposed that there really wasn't a reason to. Everyone knew they were together now.

"I'm alright, but I believe something sinister is going on beneath the surface. My insects are reporting an unusually high number of insects in the area." He says.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. That didn't sound good. If nothing else, insects had excellent survival instincts. If his bugs were nervous, there was probably a good reason for them to be.

"That doesn't sound good." Hinata mumbles and then her eyes widen when she hears an explosion in the distance.

"It looks like some of the teams are fighting now." Sasuke mutters.

On the other side of the forest, that was indeed the case. Kiba growls when he dodges an attack. Things were getting brutal. His team had spotted a sapphire scroll. So had another though.

"Kiba! Are you alright?!" One of his teammates asks.

"I think so. The bastard missed me. AKAMARU! ATTACK!" He orders his giant canine.

The Ninja dog didn't waste any time doing exactly that. Surprisingly, he wasn't the only Ninja Dog on the field. Kakashi had a pack of them actually and he was on an opposing team this time around.

It was chaos. There were weapons, jutsus, and fists flying. Kiba hadn't seen anything like this since the War. Only this time, they weren't united against a common enemy.

People were fighting their comrades from their own villages. Hell in some cases, brother was fighting against brother. Kiba almost got his head lopped off because he was too stunned by all the violence to move. He managed to dodge at the last second though.

"You really shouldn't let yourself get so easily distracted." Kakashi tells him with a cheerful smile.

Fuck! Now he had to fight against Kakashi! This day was just going from bad to worse. Damn it.

"I guess you're right. You got lucky with that one. You won't get another shot in though!" Kiba warns him.

Kakashi sighs as he rushes at the other Leaf Ninja. He didn't have anything against Kiba. The man was a comrade. Still he hoped that the stubborn youth would yield and quickly.

It went against his fundamental nature to attack another Leaf Villager like this. Sadly, these were the rules. Perhaps he would be able to knock the Inuzuka out quickly and that would be that.

As the battle was raging, the Daimyo's smirked from the room where they were watching the tournament. Everything was going to plan. Everyone was distracted. None of them really knew what was about them.

Subtly, they gave the order. The "insects" were spread out. If a huge hive of them was seen, then that would get the attention of the combatants. Clearly, they couldn't have that.

"It looks like everything is going according to plan." The Water Daimyo says.

"For now at least. Let's not get too cocky. We still have a lot of ninjas that need their chips." The Fire Daimyo replies.

The others nod in agreement. This was a risk. They were all aware of that simple fact. Still they had to act. They couldn't allow the worst to happen. A preemptive strike was necessary. So they had made it.

"Looks like it's going well for the moment though." The Earth Daimyo observes.

Indeed that was the case. While most of the ninjas were locked in combat or looking for the scrolls, they didn't really pay much mind to a minor insect bite. Most didn't notice it at all really.

"Damn bugs!" Guy mutters as he slaps his neck and continues fighting.

"Don't worry, Guy Sensei! The power of youth can handle a few bugs!" Lee chimes.

"That's right, Lee!" The other spandex lover agrees as he rushes back into the battle.

The Daimyos smirk. Yes, it was all going to plan. Well there were just a couple variables. Clearly, Shino, Hinata, and Sasuke realized something was up. That was alright though.

They'd be much more compliant after they received their chips. It was purely a matter of time. If they played their cards right, victory would be theirs!

Back on the field, the trio glance towards the source of the commotion in horror. It sounded like one Hell of a battle.

"I think someone found a scroll. Do you think we should join the fun or let them wear each other out?" Sasuke asks Hinata.

Hinata bites her lower lip in contemplation. She knew it was likely Sasuke was right. It seemed unlikely that such a large battle would erupt, if a scroll wasn't involved. Still most of these people were their friends. It seemed wrong to fight them like this.

"I think we should let them wear each other out. I hope that most of them yield." She whispers.

"That seems highly unlikely. Their individual and village pride is on the line. That can make people do crazy things. I'm beginning to think the Daimyos planned for things to be this way." Shino observes.

Sasuke frowns as he goes quiet. He was thinking the exact same thing. This was all too bizarre for it to be purely about international cooperation. Something bigger was going on and he was going to find out what.

"I was thinking the same thing actually. We should go and investigate. Maybe we can grab the scroll and end this tournament a little bit faster." He suggests as he takes off, with his girlfriend and fellow Leaf Villager following right behind him.


	19. Chapter 19

Timeless

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 19

The battle was raging viciously and the Daimyos all watch excitedly. Victory was within their grasp. All the ninjas were too occupied with staying alive and avoiding serious injuries to even notice when they slowly get bitten one by one.

"Should we call off the tournament now?" The Water Daimyo asks as they watch the carnage.

"No. We have to let it play out just a bit longer or they will get suspicious." The Earth Daimyo replies.

He nods in agreement. It was getting brutal though. Hinata, Sasuke, and Shino had just joined the fray. Hinata's not so Gentle Fist was flying. So were the Chidoris and Shino's insects.

"Come on, guys! I don't want to have to hurt any of you. Just give me the scrolls." Naruto says to Ino and Sakura.

"Pft! I was about to say the same thing to you." Sakura growls as she slams her fist into the ground and cause a massive crater to form.

Naruto almost fell into it, but was shoved out of the way by one of his teammates. Naruto's eyes widen. He leans over it to make sure that his comrade was okay.

Sakura took advantage of that. She rushed at him and grabbed his scroll. Naruto yells something about cheaters at her.

"I'M OKAY! I just need a hand getting out of here!" The fallen teammate says and one of other members of their team quickly throws them a rope and pulls the ninja out of it.

Kakashi and Kiba were still going at it. The silver haired ninja knew that Kiba had a scroll on him. He really didn't want to have to hurt his comrade, but he would if he didn't give up. Unfortunately, that didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon.

"Let's see what you got now!" Temari says as she swings her fan at Tenten.

The brunette narrows her eyes at the feisty blonde and flings hundreds of kunais at the woman. She wasn't going to fail this time. Tenten was going to get that damn scroll off of her.

Choji expands and does a giant roll to stun some of his opponents. He was going to get those damn scrolls. Then the Leaf could win the contest and maybe he'd win individual or his team would win for the teams. That would be nice.

"BEHOLD THE POWER OF YOUTH!" Guy says as he lunges at one of his attacker.

"WE CAN DO THIS, GUY SENSEI!" Lee choruses out as they fight side by side.

"We seriously have to have Guy do a paternity test. If he's not Lee's biological father, then I'm really a natural blonde." Sasuke whispers to Hinata, who giggles.

"Sasuke! Look out!" Hinata cries out as a Cloud Ninja tries to sneak up on Sasuke from behind.

Hinata slams into the other ninja and the two grapple with each other on the forest floor. Sasuke watches with wide eyes. He wanted to help Hinata, but they were moving so fast. He had just as much a chance as hitting her as the foreign ninja.

"TAKE THIS!" Hinata says as she begins to drain the other ninja of chakra.

Sasuke notes with more than a little alarm that Hinata now had a busted lip and black eye. He was proud of her though. She had definitely gotten the upper hand in that fight. Unless you were a Taijutsu Specialist like Lee, odds are when you didn't have any chakra you were down for the count. Your only real hope of survival was to retreat or in this case, yield.

"I yi-eld!" He says as he spits out some blood at Hinata.

She must have gotten in a punch somewhere. A good one too. Otherwise, he wouldn't be spitting out blood.

Sasuke was tempted to kill that son of a bitch anyway. How dare he spit at his future wife like that?! It would have disqualified him, but the Uchiha found himself debating whether or not it would be worth it.

"Hey, you're from the Mist Village, right? Time for you to sleep with the fishes!" A Stone Ninja says as he hurls a spear at a Mist Ninja.

"That was so lame. It's no wonder you are all an afterthought." The Mist Villager replies as she brings up her shield to prevent the spear from slamming into her.

"This is bad." Shino mutters to himself in horror.

There were jutsus, weapons, and fists flying. It was complete chaos. In some chases, it was brother against brother. He had never seen anything like this. How was this supposed to encourage international cooperation? If anything, it would cause old tensions to well up again.

"Hey, bug boy! You gonna fight or you just going to stand there all day?" A Grass Ninja demands.

"You're going to wish that you hadn't asked me that." Shino murmurs as he summons a hive of killer bees and instructs them to distract the Grass Ninja.

"You alright?" Sasuke asks Hinata.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Are you alright?" She asks and Sasuke nods.

He was really tempted to kill the ninja that yielded. Seeing her bloody lip was making his Sharingan and Rinnegan activate in a rage. The raven haired ninja fought to cool his temper though. It was important to stay in the tournament.

"Awe look. Isn't that sweet? The lovers are worried about each other. We should get them while their distracted." A Cloud Villager says to their Mist teammate.

"Yeah. I'm sure that they have to have at least one scroll on them. No time like the present." The Mist Villager replies.

Just as they were about to attack Sasuke and Hinata, Naruto's fist slams into their faces. He had overheard that and he wasn't going to allow anyone to attack his friends. Even if they were on separate teams, they were still his friends and he wasn't going to let someone get a cheap shot in at them.

"Maybe you shouldn't have let yourself get so distracted while watching them." He hisses as the pair groan in pain.

Naruto hadn't been using lethal force, but it was still brutal force. The blonde could feel some of their blood on his fist. He had broken their noses and blood gushed from the injuries.

"We yield!" They say quickly.

No matter how badly they wanted to win, they weren't suicidal. Going up against Naruto directly, was suicidal. Yielding was really their only hope of survival at this point.

"AHHH!" Lee cries out in pain as a kunai slices into his arm.

"LEE!" Guy calls out in horror as he rushes to his student's defense.

At that same time, Tenten and Temari were still trading blows. Well more like wind assaults and weapon barrages. The two women were locked in deadly combat. Neither of them were willing to give an inch.

"It must be difficult for you to watch your sister fight the woman that you are interested in pursuing romantically." Tsunade says to Gaara from their position in the Kage Box.

The red head had been watching the match with baited breath. Tenten was a formidable ninja, but so was his sister. Temari wasn't naturally sadistic, but she wouldn't hesitate to kill if the brunette lost and didn't yield. The reverse likely wasn't true. He was fairly certain Tenten wouldn't kill unless it was a last resort, but it was very much possible that it would be.

"I have no idea what you mean." Gaara says though he quickly looks away from Tsunade to hide the light pink hue that now adorned his cheeks.

"Of course, you don't." Tsunade says in amusement and she shakes her head.

Onoki chuckles quietly at the exchange. So the Kazekage had a soft spot for a Leaf Ninja. That was interesting. It seemed to run in the family though. Temari also was fond of Shikamaru. Still that wasn't his main concern.

"This is getting brutal. A lot of people are going to die, if they don't yield." Onoki points out.

"I can't disagree with that. I can't help but wonder what their end game is." The Raikage says.

Unbeknownst to them, the Daimyo's had installed secret cameras in the Kage Box. The fact that the Kages were already suspicious just confirmed in their minds that they had done the right thing. The seeds of conflict had already been sewn.

"Do it." The Lightning Daimyo states.

The Earth Daimyo nods and uses the chips. He sends the message to put the Kages at ease. Immediately, the Kages all suddenly look more relaxed than they had a few moments before.

"We should have done this years ago." The Water Daimyo says and the others nod in agreement.

Back on the battlefield, Shikamaru was exhausted. His Shadow Possession Jutsu would only last so long. He needed to find out where the scrolls were. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to strategize.

Every few seconds, someone would attack him and he'd have to counter or dodge. This was madness. The grass of the forest was now stained red with blood. Whose blood, he wasn't entirely sure. He was just glad at the moment that it wasn't his.

"Damn it!" He says as he saw all the ninjas clashing.

Not that long ago, they had all been comrades. They had all been working towards a common goal. Defeating Madara. Now it looked like they were going to war with each other. This was insanity.

The fighting dragged on for hours. By the end of it, there wasn't a single ninja without some sort of injury. Finally though, the team with the most Sand Villagers emerged victorious. They had been clever and gone for the scrolls while the titans battled.

"Well looks like Gaara is going to have a lot to celebrate." Sasuke mutters to Naruto and Hinata as the sounds of hundreds of cannons is heard.

They weren't firing off cannonballs though. It was confetti and glitter. The tournament was over. Thank God.

"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ALL FOUGHT WELL! PLEASE COME BACK TO THE ARENA WHERE THE VICTORS WILL BE ANNOUNCED!" Iruka's voice bellows over the speakers that had been placed throughout the forest.

The ninjas who could walk quickly return to the Arena. Those that couldn't were being attended to by medics or buried. Thankfully, only 10 of the original 50 contestants had died. But the remaining forty all had some sort of injury. It had been brutal.

"Alright. So first we shall announce the village that won. Congratulations to the Sand Village! You will be receiving water shipments from the Mist Village. A special desalination plant has been made so that some of their ocean water can be made usable." Iruka explains.

Gaara blinks. Well that was useful. There were cheers from the audience and the red head politely claps in a bit of a daze.

"Next we have the winning team. They had the most points overall. All members of this team have received a two week paid vacation to the Land of Tea. All expenses paid! Enjoy!" Iruka says as he lists the people on Shino's team.

There was more applause at this announcement. Sasuke glances at Shino's team and nods approvingly. Well that was nice for them. Who wouldn't want to win a free vacation?

"And finally, we have our top three individual scores. In first place, was Hinata Hyuga, in second place was Naruto Uzumaki, and in third place was Sasuke Uchiha. It was a close race, but the fact that Sasuke murdered Bunta while a crowd pleaser, lost him some points. He didn't give him a chance to yield. Had you not kill him, you might have won first. Hinata, you had the highest score overall and Naruto, you were damn close. It was very nearly a tie. All of you will receive a large cash prize. I know that Naruto will be happy about this. This much money will buy a lot of ramen." The announcer finishes with a chuckle.

"So if I hadn't killed Bunta, I might have gotten first?" Sasuke asks and Iruka nods.

Sasuke considers that. It would have been nice to get first or at least to beat Naruto for bragging rights. Still knowing that it cost him first or second place didn't change his mind. He had done the right thing.

"It was still worth it." Sasuke states bluntly, much to the crowd's amusement.

"Whatever you have to tell yourself, bastard! Ha! I beat you!" Naruto taunts him.

"You are SUCH a loser. You only beat me because I killed the coward that tried to stab Hinata in the back." Sasuke informs him.

Naruto nods. He was still going to count it though. It didn't matter that he probably would have fucked that guy up good too. That was the lowest thing you could do really. Attacking a teammate when their back was turned was unforgivable.

"Your prizes will be sent to your homes or village shortly. You should all be proud of how well you represented yourself, your teams, and villages." Iruka finishes.

The celebration carries on until late into the night. No one was aware that all the contestants and Kages had been chipped. So had most of the audience. Everyone was just happy that the tournament was over and the winners were pleased with the prizes.

"You should have had a medic look at your eye and lip." Sasuke says once they were back at the Hyuga Estate.

"Other people were hurt worse than me." Hinata reasons.

 **"Here, let me fix that."** The eldest Sasuke says as he strides over the middle set.

Hinata tilts his her head curiously. She wasn't really sure how Sasuke was going to fix a busted lip and black eye, but she nods her head. She trusted him.

Sasuke smiles and his hands glow green as he places them over the injuries. The bluenette and his younger self watch in shock. He was using medical jutsu.

"It l-ooks like you were serious about wanting to become a medic." Hinata stammers in shock.

"I wouldn't have said it, if I wasn't serious." Sasuke tells her and kisses her cheek, while looking at his older self gratefully.

The Minis smile and rush over to their older selves. Mini Sasuke hugs Hinata's leg and the Mini Hinata hugs Sasuke's leg. All the sets smile at this.

 _"You're okay!"_ Hinata and Sasuke chorus together.

"Yeah. We're fine. The tournament is over. How are you guys?" Sasuke asks.

 _"We're good. We were really worried about what was going to happen to you. Well to us."_ Hinata says.

It was then that Hiashi made his way over to Sasukes and Hinatas. He sighs in relief when he saw that they were alright. On some level, the Hyuga Patriarch knew that would be the case. After all, their older selves had clearly survived the tournament. Still it was a relief to see them back in one piece with his own eyes.

"I'm glad that you made it back safely." Hiashi says as he embraces Hinata.

"I'm glad too. I missed you father. I hope the Minis haven't been giving you too much trouble." The Hyuga Heiress says.

"Well they nearly destroyed our kitchen to make popcorn, but they have been well-behaved other than that." He muses.

Hinata giggles. She could just imagine Mini Sasuke and Mini Hinata making popcorn and causing a grand mess. She was sorry that she had missed that. The look upon her father's face would have been priceless!

"That's good to hear." Hinata says.

That's when the Minis frown and look confused. They felt funny. Something weird was going on. It was like they were being tugged somewhere.

 **"Don't fight it. You're going back to your own times now. Sasuke, I know it may not seem like it, but things will get better for you. I promise."** The eldest Sasuke says as he hugs his youngest self.

 _"I know they will."_ Sasuke says as he returns the hug.

Hinata and Sasuke blink. The Minis were leaving?! Neither of them knew how to react to that. So they just hugged their youngest selves and older selves.

"We'll miss you." Hinata whispers to the Mini Hinata.

 _"We'll miss you too!"_ Hinata says as she takes Sasuke's hand and they both turn into balls of chakra and streak out of the Hyuga Estate and towards the hospital.

Sasuke frowns. The Minis were leaving, but their older selves were staying. Something was seriously up.

 **"They went back to their time because they accomplished what was necessary for them to accomplish. We haven't yet."** Hinata says cryptically.

The younger Hinata bites her lower lip. That sounded a bit ominous. What else could their older selves possibly have left to do?

 **"Don't worry. It'll all work out somehow. We just can't tell you how."** Sasuke assures her.

Meanwhile back in the past, the Minis arrive just outside the Hyuga Estate. Mini Sasuke doesn't look too sure about that. He was turning to head back toward the Uchiha District when Hinata stopped him.

 _"Don't go. We can make this better. I'm sure that my father will be able to help us find Itachi. We can tell everyone the truth. Then at least you can have your brother back."_ She says.

 _"Do you really think that he can help? How are we going to prove to him that what we are telling him is the truth? It sounds crazy. We don't have the future diary with us and even if we did, he'd probably think it was a fake."_ Sasuke says.

Mini Hinata frowns as she considers this. Sasuke had a point. They were going to need proof before they could just accuse the Leaf of ordering a Massacre.

 _"I don't know how we'll prove it to him yet, but I know that we will find a way."_ She says and Sasuke just nods in agreement.

Sasuke knew that they would find a way to fix everything. They knew what was about to happen. They could change things! They could make things better!

Meanwhile back in the present Sasuke and Hinata found a way to politely excuse themselves after dinner. The two of them were now in her room. Thankfully, Hiashi didn't comment on the fact that were obviously leaving dinner together and where they were most likely going.

"I think he's starting to tolerate me more." Sasuke muses.

"I would help so. I mean we are still to-gether in ten years. Father will get used to you. It will just take some time is all. Once he gets to know the real you, he'll love you. Not in the same way that I do, but he'll at least li-ke you." The blunette stammers.

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement and kisses her cheek. Hinata was adorable. How could a woman who could drain all your chakra be so shy? It was quite the contradiction.

"Maybe. It's strange that the Minis went back to their time, but our older counterparts are staying for now. That makes me nervous. I like them, but that seems ominous." Sasuke admits.

"I was thinking the same thing." Hinata confesses.

Sasuke sighs and caresses her cheek. Well the good news was that they were both on the same page. The bad news is that they were both on the same page.

"We could ask them, but I doubt that they would tell us anything. Their too scared that they will alter the timeline." The raven haired ninja observes.

"I know. They have good reason to be. It looks like our future is bright. I hope the Minis are alright though." She whispers.

Sasuke nods. He couldn't lie. He still felt guilty about what was going to happen to his younger counterpart. He had no real way of knowing that things were eventually going to get better.

When Mini Sasuke returned to his time, he was going to think this was all just a dream. He didn't have anything to cling to. It was going to be a long and mostly horrible ten years that boy was about to go through. With some brief periods of happiness on Team Seven or when Team Taka amused him. Overall though, it was a very dark period in his life that he was just beginning to drag himself out of.

"You feel guilty." Hinata says.

It was a statement. Hinata wasn't asking. She was stating a simple fact. Sasuke couldn't deny it and thus didn't even bother to try.

"I do. He's about to go through so much pain and we didn't do anything about it." He answers honestly.

"I know, but we did the right thing. He'll survive it. You did and so did your older counterpart." Hinata says and she kisses him.

Sasuke smiles and returns the kiss. That was something that Hinata was quite good at doing. Kissing. It also served as a damn useful distraction.

"Mmm you're right. Things will get better for him eventually." The Uchiha says between kisses.

"Yes, they will. If it makes you feel any better, I have another surprise for you." She whispers and a rosy pink blush forms upon her cheeks as she does so.

Hmm. She was blushing and she had a surprise. Sasuke wasn't exactly sure where this was going, but he liked it. It sounded promising.

"Oh really? What's the surprise?" He asks in amusement.

"I know how much you liked the red lace. This time I got silk leopard." She informs him.

Sasuke blinks. He was pretty sure that Hinata had just told him she was wearing leopard lingerie. Yeah. That's exactly what it sounded like.

"Yeah. Things will definitely get better for him." Sasuke says with a smirk and he playfully pins Hinata to the bed underneath him.

That had to be an invitation. A woman wouldn't tell a man she was wearing leopard lingerie, if she didn't want him to pounce right? Hinata couldn't possibly be that much of a tease.

"I take it that means you like leopard." She giggles and smiles up at him.

"Hinata, you would look beautiful in a potato sack. But yeah, I have to admit that I like it when you play Dress Up for me." He tells Hinata and then kisses her.

Hinata smiles and returns his kiss. Sasuke would be okay. He was strong. In about a decade, he'd begin to heal from the trauma of the past. Everything would work out, somehow. She just wasn't quite sure how yet, but she knew it would.


	20. Chapter 20

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

 **Chapter Notation:** The timelines are now beginning to be altered. I hope that my readers are able to go with the flow because things are going to get complicated now with all the timelines mingling. I shall try to explain this more in the next chapter.

Chapter 20

Hinata smiles as she looks up at Sasuke. She knew that she should logically be terrified. One of the most dangerous ninjas alive had her pinned underneath him, but she wasn't.

What she was feeling wasn't terror. It was something completely different. Desire.

"If you want me to stop, you better tell me now." Sasuke whispers hotly into her ear.

"I don't want you to stop, but maybe we should go to the Uchiha District instead. Almost everyone in this Estate has a Byakugan. Byakugans can see through walls." She reminds him.

Sasuke mentally kicked himself for not thinking of that before. Hinata was right. Anyone of her family members could accidentally get an eyeful. They really should go somewhere more private.

He smirks. Beauty and brains. He was really lucky to have her, he thinks to himself as he takes her hands in his and teleports them back to the Uchiha District in a brilliant swirl of flames.

"It's really amazing that the flames don't burn us." Hinata observes.

"I think even fire knows better than to mar your beautiful skin." Sasuke says and he kisses her shoulder as if to prove his point.

Hinata giggles at this. Sasuke wasn't most talkative person that she had ever met, but once in awhile he would surprise her. He could be quite romantic, when he wanted to be.

"How long have you been saving that line?" The bluenette asks as she turns around to face him and wraps her arms around his neck.

"I just came up with it about two seconds ago. Why? Did you like it?" He asks slyly.

"Mmm it was nice." Hinata concedes and she kisses him.

Sasuke smirks and returns the kiss. He was pleased that she liked it. He had never been one to flatter most people, but Hinata was an exception. For her, he could use flattery.

"Good. Were you serious about the silk leopard?" He asks as he begins sliding her Jonin vest off of her.

"Mhm. I wouldn't lie to you." She whispers and blushes.

Sasuke quite liked the way that her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. It was different than her usual red blushes, but still rather endearing. Hinata was Hinata. She was shy. That didn't bother him.

They were married in the future and according to his older self had four children. At some point, Hinata was going to get over her shyness. Well at least to some degree. Otherwise, they never would have had children together.

"I know. That's one of the reasons why I love you. That and it doesn't hurt that you're the most beautiful person that I've ever seen in my life." He says as he looks at her with ruby red eyes.

"You're getting really good at comp-liments." She stammers shyly.

Hinata slips out of the shirt that had been underneath her vest. That meant that she was wearing only her pants and a silky leopard bra. She felt her face heat up. At that moment, Hinata knew that her face was redder than one of Sasuke's beloved tomatoes.

It didn't matter though. The way he was looking at her said it all. She'd have to get over her natural modesty at some point, if she really wanted to be with him in the ways that her older self clearly had been.

"I have a feeling that I'll be getting a lot of practice at giving them. Naturally, I was going to have to improve at some point. You have nothing to be embarrassed about." He assures her and kisses her cheek.

Instinct told him just to finish unwrapping his present, but he didn't want to scare her off. Hinata clearly was feeling more than a little bashful. Besides, he wasn't an animal. He could go slow, if she needed him to.

"That's surprisingly sweet of you." Hinata says as she kisses him and shyly slides her hands underneath his shirt.

"I can be sweet, when I want to be." Sasuke informs her and Hinata smiles.

"Good." She replies and slowly she tugs off his shirt.

Sasuke smiles. He knew Hinata. That had probably taken most of courage just to remove his shirt. He supposed there was really only one way to go about this. He'd just have to indulge her shyness.

"You can look and touch anywhere you like. It's okay." Sasuke says as he rolls them over until Hinata was on top of him.

 **Warning Lemon**

Hinata felt her face burn bright red at what he said. She couldn't believe that she was doing this. She was clad in nothing more than a bra and her pants at the moment while straddling Sasuke Uchiha's waist.

"I'm g-lad that we are in your District. If my father w-alked in on us now, it wouldn't end well." She mumbles as she shyly gives into her curiosity and lightly glides her fingertips over his muscular chest.

"Me too and that's just another reason to enjoy ourselves. It's good to be a little rebellious now and then. It's not like he can stop us from being together, Hinata. No one can. I promise." Sasuke assures her as he pulls her down for a heated kiss.

Hinata eagerly returns it and continues her gentle explorations. It was strange. She could feel the power of the muscles coiled underneath her fingers as she touched the well sculpted muscles underneath them. The bluenette was aware that he could probably level mountains, if he really wanted to. Yet, he was apparently quite content to allow her to do whatever she wanted and to kiss her until she was breathless.

"I really like it when you kiss me." She tells him after breaking the kiss and feeling a little emboldened she places a trail of kisses along his neck.

"Good because I like kissing you and I'm sure that we'll both love doing more than just kissing." Sasuke sighs in contentment and tilts his head to the side to expose more of it to her administrations.

That felt good. What was it about the feeling of Hinata's lips against his skin that felt so fucking irresistible? As he was wondering this, he glides his hands further down her back until he came to her pants.

Sasuke knew this was a gamble, but he was going to do it anyway. Hinata was distracted at the moment. He could probably get away with it. Besides, she was wearing entirely too many clothes for his liking. The pants and whatever was underneath them, had to go.

"Mhm." Hinata says and she playfully sucks on his collarbone while her hands continue their explorations.

She found his abs particularly fascinating, but she wasn't going to just stop there. Shyly, she reaches for the waistband of his pants.

They were married in the future. They had children. There was no reason not to go further, really. Still she felt like she was doing something very much forbidden and in a way, she definitely was. She was about to take a former S Class Criminal Ninja as her lover. What could be more forbidden than that?

"Like I said, you can look and touch ALL you want." He purrs at her seductively as he tugs off her pants and the leopard thong that was adorning her womanhood.

Well that was nice. Very nice, actually. He almost felt guilty about removing it. The way it hugged her backside and creamy thighs was beautiful really. Now he just had to get rid of the bra.

"I know. I like touching you too." She admits and showers his chest and abs with kisses and love bites, licking where she bit soothingly.

Sasuke groans and felt his desire fanned into even hotter flames. How she could be THAT innocent while she was straddling half naked, he had no idea. The affectionate gestures felt good. Too good really.

He found himself rather grateful when she summoned up the courage to remove his pants and boxers. That was really all the permission Sasuke needed. He slides her bra off.

"Good because I definitely like it when you touch me. Fuck. You're beautiful." Sasuke whispers as he kisses her and caresses her breasts.

God, she was so soft and warm. So wonderfully feminine. He really liked how her breasts felt in his hand and her honey flavored kisses. Idly, he wondered if maybe she'd agreed to walk around topless when they were alone in his District together. Now THAT would certainly help with Clan Restoration efforts.

Hinata found herself moaning into the kiss. Sasuke tended to kiss like he fought, with a ruthless passion. There was a dark seduction to it and she found it would be almost impossible to retake control of the kiss. Besides, she didn't really want to. It felt good to be desired like that.

"I haven't done this before. Tell me if I do something wrong." She mumbles.

"Oh trust me, you are doing everything VERY right." He assures her as he flicks his tongue against one of her rosy pink nipples and takes it into his mouth, sucking on it.

Hinata gasps. She wasn't sure what it was about that simple action that felt so incredible. A jolt of white hot lust flooded her core. The feeling of his hot mouth wrapped around her sensitive nipple like that was indescribably good.

Instinctively, she brushed her core against his. Both off them moaned at the sinfully wicked friction that the action created. Sasuke was certainly the less shy between the two of them though because he ground against her without any hesitation again.

"Feels so good." Hinata moans as she arches her back in pleasure.

Sasuke glances up at her. That was a glorious view. Nothing would ever be able to compete with the sight of a naked Hinata arching like that. It was like she was some kind of goddess.

He brings one of his hands to squeeze her backside and the other slowly glides over her toned stomach until it comes to rest between Hinata's thighs. Once he got there, Sasuke didn't waste any time. He rubs his thumb against her clit and smirks when he was immediately rewarded with a needy moan and Hinata rocking against him.

"I can make it even better, if you want." Sasuke says, after he releases her from his mouth and he continues teasing her clit.

Hinata moans and arches into his touches. That felt so much better than when she did it herself. She would have been embarrassed at being so wanton, if it wasn't for how amazing just a few touches felt.

"I want you." She whispers and Sasuke smirks.

"Trust me, I'm all yours. I don't want anyone else." Sasuke assures her as he cautiously slides a single digit inside her.

He knew that Hinata had even less experience than he did. He had at least SEEN people couple in real life. The Sound had no issues with exhibition. Even if you didn't want to, you were going to get an eyeful at some point. He doubted that Hinata had so much as even looked at one of Jirayia's novels. So Sasuke knew that was important to be gentle.

"Good." She murmurs and she begins stroking his arousal.

"Fuck! R-eally good." Sasuke groans and bucks into her gentle touches while moving his finger inside her faster.

She was hot, wet, and tight. If Hinata felt this amazing now, he couldn't imagine what actually being fully joined was like. Well actually his could and he felt his arousal heightened at that thought.

Hinata marveled at the fact that she had Sasuke wanting her just as badly as she wanted him. She was a medic. So it wasn't the first time she had seen a man undressed before.

Sasuke was different now though. Apparently, the other girls back at the Academy had known something that she hadn't back then. They must have known that he would one day grow into a gorgeous predator.

"Hinata, I want you to lay on your back." Sasuke tells her as he slowly pulls away from the bluenette.

He wasn't going to last like that. That and he wanted her to achieve climax at least once before he took her. That would make it easier for her to accept him.

He wasn't completely naïve. Sasuke was fully aware that no matter what he did, at a bare minimum it would be uncomfortable or awkward for a woman initially during her first time. Still he was going to do his best to make it as easy on his beautiful lover as he possibly could.

"Okay." She murmurs as she slides off of him and rolls over until she was laying on her back.

She wasn't entirely sure, why Sasuke would want to stop THERE. She had been so close and the way that her desire was pulsing between her thighs was driving her to the brink of madness. But she trusted him complete.

"Such a good lily." He praises her.

Sasuke soon gets on top of her and begins sliding slowly south. He parts her thighs and laps at her womanhood with his tongue in a manner that was similar to a cat savoring a fine cream. Hinata gasps and felt her eyes roll to the back of her head in pleasure as she arches against him and gripes the sheets of the bed tightly.

"S-asuke!" She pants out wantonly and runs her fingers through his dark, spiky locks.

Sasuke smirks at this reaction. He must have been doing something right. He licks her faster and this time slides two fingers inside her.

He was so distracted by the sweet moans she was making, that he never saw the sneak attack coming. Hinata had grasped his arousal in her hand again before he even knew what was happening. All Sasuke knew is that it felt really fucking good when her soft hand was stroking him again. This time with far more confidence than before.

"Sneaky." He growls at her in approval before going back to teasing her with his skillful tongue.

"Nhh! Y-ou started it. Yes! Yes!" She moans desperately.

Sasuke smirks. That was a good sign. She was barely coherent. He bites her clit a little nip and that sends her spiraling over the edge. She came and she came hard.

"You're right. You taste so sweet." He murmurs with approval as he slides his fingers out of her and rolls her over so that she was laying on her side.

This forces Hinata to release him from her wonderfully wicked hand and allows Sasuke to lay behind her. He was also on his side. Hinata glances back at him in confusion.

"You'll like it. Trust me. This might hurt at first, but that's only because you're an innocent. It'll feel better really soon. I promise." He assures her and before she could reply, he parts her thighs and buries himself inside her.

"Sasuke!" She cries out with a slight whine to her voice.

"It's alright." He whispers as he captures her lips in a heated kiss and glides his hand over her ample breasts.

Hinata leans into the seductive touch and squirms when her lover rubs her womanhood again. The bluenette knew that he was trying to be gentle. He wasn't moving inside her yet. She returns his kiss and then breaks it to offer her own words of reassurance.

"It's okay. I'm not made of glass." She says as she slowly begins to adjust to the sensation of being completely full.

"Thank God." Sasuke sighs in relief as he begins moving inside her at a slow, sensual pace.

The way it felt to be joined with her was completely unlike anything that he'd ever felt before. There was really no other way that he could describe it, other than good and right. It was like they were meant to be joined in this fashion together.

She was hot, tight, and wet. The way they fit together was like sides of the same coin. Sasuke was actually amazed that he didn't cum right then and there. Somehow, he manages not to and begins driving inside his lover's hot depths over and over again.

"Nhh! Sasuke!" Hinata moans and arches back against him like cat as she wiggles her hips encouragingly.

That just caused Sasuke to go deeper inside her and hit that spot inside his lover that made her see stars. Hinata cries out in pleasure and Sasuke smirks. He quickly kisses her neck and slams into her with a reckless abandon.

That definitely wasn't a moan of pain, but one of pure pleasure and raw need. He felt the same way. How could he not?

She looked glorious with her beautiful midnight blue hair spilling everywhere over the bed and teasing his skin. Her creamy white skin looked so alluring against his own fair complexion and there was even a rosy pink blush to her entire body. He didn't know that it was possible for someone to blush on their breasts, but apparently it was.

"Mine." He growls possessively as he lightly bites down on her shoulder and slams into her again and again.

The way she melted against him was perfect. They were truly like one person now. The two of them were moving as one entity. An entity was drowning in passion and desire.

Hinata felt herself shiver at the possessiveness in his tone and the feeling of his teeth against her neck. Her shiver didn't last long. Soon she was screaming to the Heavens as his cock brushes against her spot repeatedly.

"Always." She whimpers in pleasure as she arches against him desperately.

She felt him smirk against her neck. That was her only warning before he slams into her with one final thrust that sent them both over the edge. Neither of them was able to resist the euphoric bliss any longer as they both came hard.

Sasuke slowly slides out of her and turns Hinata around. The last Uchiha didn't waste any time in wrapping his arms around her protectively and kissing her. Hinata smiles and returns his loving kiss and embrace eagerly.

 **End Lemon**

"I c-an see why I married you now." Hinata pants out.

Her heart was beating so fast and she could still feel his essence deep inside her. The afterglow of her orgasm hadn't left her yet. Frankly, she was rather proud of herself for being able to speak coherently at all.

"Likewise." Sasuke says and he glides his hand over the curve of her hip suggestively.

"I have no idea how our older selves were able to keep their hands off each other long enough for us to realize we were together." Hinata muses.

"Me neither. It's okay now though. We can be together was many times as we want now. There's nothing to keep us apart anymore." Sasuke assures her.

If the lovers had known what the Daimyos were plotting, they might not have fallen into a blissful sleep. Unfortunately for them, they didn't know. As everyone else was celebrating the tournament's conclusion, the Daimyo's had gathered once again.

"I think it was a complete success." The Fire Daimyo muses.

"I completely agree. None of them have any clue what really just happened." The Lightning Daimyo concurs with a smirk.

Truly, it was almost too easy. Ninjas were such a proud people. Their pride would always be their downfall every single time. If you gave them a competition, they could focus on little else. Now they were all chipped. Now the real fun could begin.

"We shall have to act quickly. We don't want the Kages to return back to their villages, just yet." The Water Daimyo points out.

There were soon choruses of agreement. That was correct. It would be much easier to reestablish their dominance, if all the Kages were gathered in one place.

"True. Hmm. How shall we go about this?" The Earth Daimyo wonders.

"A celebration after the tournament sounds best. We can have them all sing our praises for organizing such a wonderful event. It was the perfect start to their grand plan.

Unbeknownst to the eldest set or the present day Hinata and Sasuke, time could work rather strangely when you were dealing with three time lines at once. The Minis were no longer so Mini.

Oh they were still significantly younger than the other sets. Still in the span of a "day" to the present day Sasuke and Hinata, five years had passed in the past. The Mini Sasuke and Hinata were now 12.

 _"I still don't like this. He's cruel, Sasuke."_ Hinata whispers once she and the last Uchiha were inside the Sound.

 _"I don't like him either, but I have to get stronger. You read the diary though. I need to beat the truth out of Danzo. I need to get evidence of it. Besides, we don't really know if the war will happen again. It's best to get as strong as we can either way."_ Sasuke reasons.

Just before heading back, Sasuke had grabbed the diary and taken it with him. He had wanted to read more of it. It was a good thing that he had because they both knew what was supposed to happen and could take countermeasures to prevent the more unpleasant aspects of the future from occurring.

Sasuke still hated taking Hinata away from her family. He knew that she was scared. She had good reason to be. Orochimaru clearly wasn't exactly sane. Still he knew that they had to do this.

 _"I know that you're right. Just don't let him change you. Don't let him take you as his vessel. Lie to him. You're smart. You can trick him."_ The young Hyuga pleads.

 _"I know. Don't worry. I'm not going to actually become his vessel. I just want him to teach us what he knows. That way we can become stronger."_ Sasuke assures her.

He glances at his Lily and smiles. She was really brave. Hinata had left everything behind for him. He couldn't ask for a better friend.

At twelve though, the first glimmers of more than friendship were forming. He finally understood what Naruto was going on about when it came to Sakura. He understood why the blonde had wanted to kiss their teammate so much.

 _"I know. Do you think this will save Neji too?"_ She asks hopefully.

 _"I think so. He died in the war. We know when and how it is supposed to happen. So maybe we can prevent it."_ The young Uchiha replies.

 _"I hope so."_ Hinata mumbles and Sasuke nods in agreement.

He would like to save Neji for her. After all, she was helping him to save Itachi. It was only fair. That and he just couldn't bare to see her sad.

Sasuke idly notes that her hair was just beginning to grow out. He had seen her older selves. He knew that eventually, it would become quite long. Hinata was pretty now. Awkwardly cute, but she would grow into a beautiful woman in a few short years.

 _"Me too. Come on. Let's get some rest."_ Sasuke says as he wraps his arms around her protectively in their bed and snuggles into her.

He had insisted they share a room in the Sound. He might have been twelve, but he wasn't stupid. It was a lot more dangerous for Hinata to be here as a young girl than it was for him as a young boy. So they slept in the same bed and cuddled.

He liked holding her against him and her snuggling up to him. It was still innocent though. His thoughts hadn't drifted much further than kissing yet. He wanted to restore his Clan, but it was an abstract idea. He hadn't really thought much about how the actual restoration process would occur yet.

 _"Good night, Sasuke."_ Hinata says.

 _"Good night, Hinata."_ He replies and the two soon drift off to sleep.

Meanwhile back in the present, Hinata wakes up the next morning and makes them breakfast. Sasuke smiles when he walks out into the kitchen and sees her cooking. He could get used to this. Seeing her in his home, everyday. Well THEIR home, he mentally corrects himself.

"That smells good. What is it?" He asks.

"Strawberry pancakes, I remember how much your younger self liked them." The Hyuga woman reasons.

"Oh yeah. Strawberry pancakes are good." Sasuke says and Hinata smiles as she hands him a plate of them.

That's when Sasuke noticed that Hinata's fingernails were purple. He frowns. He had never known her to wear any sort of makeup, not even fingernail polish. Though he had known someone who used to.

"Hinata, since when do you wear fingernail polish?" Sasuke asks.

"Oh. Since now. I found it on the counter. I thought it was really pretty. I hope you don't mind. I assume that it was your mother's. I probably should have asked before I used it, but it was just so pretty." She mumbles apologetically.

That's when Sasuke's blood ran cold. His mother had never worn it either. Itachi had. It was possible that there was still some fingernail polish in his house, but it certainly wouldn't have been on the kitchen counter. Sasuke never would have touched it.

"Hinata, I don't think that we are alone in this house." Sasuke says, immediately going on full alert.

"Sasuke, what are you talking about?" Hinata asks in confusion.

"That fingernail polish wasn't my mother's. It was Itachi's." Sasuke says and Hinata's eyes widen as it finally dawns on her what Sasuke meant.

The timeline must have been altered somehow. Was it really possible that Itachi Uchiha was alive? Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could feel a foreign presence. It was like a movie. Memories, but not from this timeline. From another…that was still being written. In that timeline though, Itachi had never died. Uh oh.

"Perceptive as always. Perhaps I shouldn't call you my foolish little brother anymore." A velvety voice calls out.


	21. Chapter 21

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. Well I think we have all learned a valuable lesson. Nothing gets people's attention faster than Itachi. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

 **Chapter Notation:** Sasuke, Hinata, and Itachi have two sets of memories now. One from each timeline. The rest of the Leaf Village hasn't had their memories changed is because the Minis' new timeline hasn't caught up with the present day one yet. Once it does, the other Leaf Villagers will be impacted by the changes. I hope that makes sense. If not, well I hope that at least you are entertained.

Chapter 21

"Itachi?! How are you here? You're dead!" Sasuke says.

The elder Uchiha glances at Hinata and Sasuke. It was subtle, but Sasuke still saw it. For once, Itachi wasn't sure of himself. He was just as confused as they were. He just wouldn't admit it.

"It's the strangest thing. I have memories from what appears to be another life. One that ended in the way that I expected, but I also have memories of a newer life. In this one, I didn't die. More "memories" are playing out in my head." He replies.

"The Minis must have altered the timeline somehow." Hinata whispers.

Itachi raises an eyebrow. The Minis? What on Earth was his brother's lover talking about? Perhaps Sasuke had been a bit _overenthusiastic_ in their loving making and she was slightly delirious.

"It's a long story. A very long story. It sounds like you have one of your own to tell though. Let's start with how long you've been here." Sasuke says.

"A few hours. I would have approached you sooner, but the two of you were otherwise _engaged._ It seemed rude to disturb you." Itachi states tactfully.

It was slight, but Sasuke noticed it. Yes, Itachi was smirking ever so subtly and weaving some rather masterful innuendos in his carefully crafted response. That was humiliating. His brother had overheard him when he was _**WITH**_ Hinata.

"If you had, I would have killed you again." Sasuke mutters and sighs as Hinata blushes deeply.

He wraps his arms around her protectively. The youngest Uchiha smiles when she buries his face in his neck and rubs her back soothing. She was completely mortified, but seeking reassurance from him.

"I surmised as much. Have the two of you noticed anything odd about your memories?" He inquires.

Yes, it was amusing to tease Sasuke. Still Itachi wasn't an idiot. They needed to figure out what was going on and if the effects were permanent.

"We were a little distracted. Hinata, do you feel anything different?" Sasuke asks as he offers the blushing woman a reassuring smile.

Hinata frowns as she searches her memories. It was as though there were two timelines in her head. One that was from the life she had lived up until that point and the other was from a completely different life.

"I have two sets of memories." She whispers.

"What about yourself?" Itachi asks Sasuke gently.

Sasuke's brows furrow as he tries to remember. It was exactly as he remembered. His life was the same and yet there was an almost dreamlike series of memories underneath that one. In those memories, Itachi had never died.

"It's the same for me. Itachi, I think you should tell us everything that you remember. I think our younger selves might have altered the timeline. There was a mirror that summoned our past and future selves here. Recently, the younger set went back to their era." Sasuke says.

"Alright. Five years ago, you and Hinata found me. I used Tsukuyomi on you. Once you were released, you started babbling about time travel. At first, I thought that my jutsu had driven you to insanity. After that, I lost my sense of awareness for awhile. When I finally came to, I woke up here." Itachi explains as he recalls the incident.

 _"SASUKE!" Hinata cried out in horror as she cradles her best friend in her arms._

 _She didn't know what Itachi had just done to him, but she knew Genjutsu when she saw it. The Hyuga Heiress could only imagine what sort horrors the other man must have subjected his brother to. Sasuke was convulsing in her arms._

 _"Awe isn't that sweet, Itachi? Your kid brother found himself a girlfriend. Don't you feel like a jerk now? Scaring the pretty little thing like that and beating him up in front of her?" Kisame taunted._

 _"Kisame, silence." Itachi said simply._

 _"I kn-ow the truth, Itachi." Sasuke gasped out as he struggled to stay conscious after the psychological torture that the other Uchiha had put him through._

 _Itachi's eyes narrowed. He knew the truth? Did he really or was he just delirious? He had to find out which was the case._

 _"And what truth do you believe you know?" Itachi seethed at him._

 _"I know that you were ordered to do it. You d-idn't want to kill them. You pre-vented another Great Ninja War." He pants out as Hinata held him protectively._

 _Itachi's blood ran cold. Sasuke knew. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. Damn it! It wasn't supposed to go like this._

 _"How did you find that out?! Who told you?! Was it Danzo?!" He growled._

 _"No. We went to the future. We can ch-ange it." Sasuke told him as he finally lost his battle to remain conscious._

 _Hinata watched Itachi warily. It was at that moment that the Criminal Ninja knew the truth. If he tried to touch his brother, that girl would fight to the death to protect him. If nothing else, at least Sasuke had a loyal friend. A suicidal friend, but a friend nonetheless._

 _"I'm not going to attack him. I wanted him to kill me. I wouldn't kill him. I wanted to carry the darkest secrets of the Leaf Village with me to my grave. Sasuke would have been the hero and he could have started a new chapter in our Clan's history. A better one." He muttered._

 _Kisame watched all this in silence. He didn't know what to say to any of this. Was it really true? Had those two brats actually traveled to the future and back?_

 _"Itachi! You're turning transparent!" Kisame shouted at his partner in a panicked voice._

 _That's when Itachi glanced down. The other Akatsuki member was correct. He was slowly turning transparent. Before he could react to this, he fell unconscious._

 _When he woke up, he was back in his family's home. He wasn't alone though. He could hear Sasuke's voice. It was older though. That was a very good thing because he was making some rather adult sounds._

 _"What on Earth sort of trouble has my foolish little brother gotten into us this time?" He muttered as he headed to the kitchen._

 _He decided that it would be best to wait it out. While he was waiting, he redoes his nails. Itachi had to do something to pass the time after all. Naturally, he did that after putting in some earplugs._

 _Itachi was very happy that his brother had found love or at least discovered the joys of female companionship. It sounded like Clan Restoration was going rather well really, but that didn't mean he wanted to HEAR said restoration as it was going on!_

"It sounds plausible. I wonder if old timeline's memories will stay or if they are going to fade out." Sasuke asks.

"I have no idea. This is all uncharted territory." Itachi replies and Sasuke nods in agreement.

Hinata couldn't help but glance at the brothers. There were enough similarities that you could probably guess they were related at first glance, but they were far from identical.

If Sasuke was a volcano, Itachi was more like a tsunami. The younger Uchiha was all fiery passion. Whatever he did, it was explosive. You just didn't know exactly when he was going to erupt, but he would. Itachi was more like the calm surface of an ocean. You didn't realize what was going on underneath the depths of the surface until it was too late.

"Do you think that the new memories have filtered in for everyone or just us?" Itachi muses.

"I have no idea. Hinata, you should go speak with your father. I'll stay here with Itachi. I don't want him to try to do something stupid like running off. That and we can't risk him being seen until we know if the timeline was fully altered." Sasuke points out.

"Alright, but are you going to be okay?" Hinata asks in concern.

Sasuke smiles. He kisses her forehead and caresses her cheek. He knew exactly what he meant by that.

He didn't know really, but he would have to be. Itachi had been revived once before, but he had gone back to the afterlife. Now that the timeline had been altered, it appeared he had never died in the first place.

"As long as I have you, I'll be fine." Sasuke assures her and Hinata nods before darting off.

"I can see why you favor her. She is quite stunning and she must be infinitely patient to put up with your foolishness." Itachi says once she was gone and Sasuke twitches.

Meanwhile back at the Hyuga Estate, Hiashi frowns. He hadn't seen hide, nor hair of the Middle Sasuke and Hinata. That was causing him to grow rather concerned.

"Have either of you, seen them?" Hiashi asks the elder set.

 **"No. I imagine they went out to celebrate Hinata's victory at the tournament though. Don't worry. We're still here. Everything is going to be fine."** Sasuke says as he bites into his breakfast and that's when he tensed up.

He was suddenly barraged by images that somehow he knew were memories, but not his memories. Well they were, but they weren't. The timeline must have been altered because the memories flashing across his mind's eyes weren't from any of his memories.

 _"Are you sure that we are doing the right thing, brother? There is a reason why such things stay in the shadows. I don't think that the Leaf's people are ready for the truth." Itachi told a now sixteen year old Sasuke._

 _"Whether or not they are ready for it, doesn't matter. The truth needs to be told." Sasuke said simply._

 _He wasn't going to allow it anymore. Itachi had a lot of blood on his hands, but he had saved far more people than he had killed. This was the Leaf's fault. Not his. Itachi didn't deserve to have his name dragged through the mud just so that the Leaf's leaders could have easier lives._

 _"If they react poorly, I know that my Clan will aid us. They can either accept the truth or we'll take over the village. It will be better for them in the long run anyway. If they can order the genocide of the Uchiha Clan, what's to stop them from doing the same to my Clan or any other Clan?" Hinata asks softly._

 _Sasuke smiled at his Lily. God, he loved her. He'd probably loved her since they were seven and traveled to the future together._

 _It had started off as a genuine friendship and overtime had morphed into more. Now he knew why the oldest set had shown up together. It seemed it didn't matter which timeline they existed in, they would always be together. That was the way he liked it._

 _"The Uchiha Clan was a special case. Though I suppose I can see your point. Can you really do this though? Could you raise your hand against your comrades? What about your former teammates?" Itachi inquired gently._

 _"For Sasuke, I could do anything." Hinata said and Sasuke kissed her cheek._

 _"I feel the same way, Hinata." He told her and smiled._

 _She was his Lily. In a few years, she'd be his wife. For now though, they had to take care of some unfinished business._

 _"Ain't that adorable, Itachi?" Kisame asked in amusement._

 _"Don't you start, fish face." Sasuke muttered in annoyance._

 _Somewhere along the way, they had convinced the Akatsuki to join them. That was probably their biggest trump card in Sasuke's mind. Anyone of them was lethal, but all of them combined were practically invincible._

 _Yes, they had even gotten Tobi to join them. Well perhaps Sasuke should say Madara. No wait. His real name was Obito. Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes at the man's many aliases. Well whatever fucking name the other Uchiha had decided to call himself that week anyway._

 _"That's cute. Sasuke is all embarrassed. Romeo is blushing." Suigetsu taunted him._

 _"CHIDORI!" Sasuke cried out as he attacked the sword lover and the others watched in amusement._

 _Yes, Team Taka still existed in this timeline. After killing Orochimaru and convincing Itachi and Kisame to join t hem, Sasuke had decided that they still needed more firepower. Thus they had recruited Karin, Jugo, and Suigetsu. Though some days, Sasuke regretted recruiting the violet eyed ninja. He could be really annoying._

 _"Sasuke, if you are done playing with Suigetsu, shall we get started?" Itachi asked._

 _"Yeah. I'm done. I'll just kick his ass later." Sasuke grumbled as he extinguished his Chidori and the group headed into the Leaf Village._

 **"Oh my God! Sasuke, your arm!"** Hinata cries out in shock.

 **"What about it?"** Sasuke asks in confusion as he looks down at his arm and blinks.

It was no longer a transplant. It was his ORIGINAL arm. It was in one piece again. It seemed that the timeline must have altered radically. His battle with Naruto where they each lost an arm, had never happened.

"I think it's safe to say that the timelines have been completely changed." Hiashi states.

"I guess that answers that question." Hinata mumbles as she walks over to the other ninjas.

"Hinata, what is going on?!" Hiashi demands.

Hinata sighs. She didn't even know where to begin. This was all so confusing. She knew that she had to at least attempt explaining things though.

Meanwhile a grand celebration was being organized. The Daimyos had forced the Kages to put one together. As they were under the influence of the chip, they didn't realize what was going on and soon did as they were instructed

"This is an amazing party!" Tenten says to Gaara.

"Thank you. It was short notice, but I suppose the Daimyos were correct. We really should celebrate the tournament and honor those who fell." The red head says.

Kakashi chuckles as he watches the Kazekage try to make small talk with the Weapon's Mistress. Adorable. Young love could be so amusing.

"What are you laughing about?" Kurenai asks as she saunters over to Kakashi.

The silver haired ninja tilts his head towards Tenten and Gaara. Kurenai's red eyes follow the movement and she blinks. Well she certainly hadn't seen that one coming.

"It seems that love is in the air." She notes with a giggle.

"THE POWER OF YOUTH AND LOVE WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!" Guy says happily.

"But you will. I believe that puts me to fifty. So I won the latest set of contests." The CopyCat Ninja says with a smile as he goes back to reading his book.

Guy face faults and Kurenai giggles. Some things would never change. The Genjutsu Mistress couldn't believe that they were still carrying on like they were still in the Academy.

"Something is wrong." The Fire Daimyo whispers to the others.

"What do you mean?" The Lightning Daimyo replies.

"I don't see Hinata or Sasuke. Where are they?" The Earth Daimyo chimes in.

Yes, the Hyuga Heiress and last Uchiha were both missing. Hmm. The Daimyos found that concerning, but after awhile they decide to overlook it. It was likely the young lovers were with each other. At the moment, they weren't a threat to their plans.

"Thank you all for coming here and to the Kages for organizing such wonderful celebration on such short notice." The Water Daimyo begins and cheers ring up from the crowds.

The Daimyos smirk. It was all going to according to plan. Soon enough, no one would be able to question their rule.

Back the Uchiha District, Sasuke eyes Itachi warily. He didn't know what to do or say really. He didn't even know if his brother was going to stay for good or if he would end up flickering back to the past.

"I know what you are thinking. I believe it would be best, if we just enjoyed this time together. Until we know what is going on with the rest of the village, we should stay here. We do need to pass the time somehow." Itachi says as he pours them some tea.

"I think that this calls for something stronger than tea. I mean you just came back from the dead in a way." Sasuke points out.

"Foolish little brother. Do you not know that there are three things that can bring down even the strongest ninja?" Itachi asks.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He was almost afraid to ask, but he would anyway. Itachi was right. At the moment, they had some time to kill and they might as well take advantage of it.

"Uh huh and what are those three things?" The younger Uchiha asks in amusement.

"Alcohol, gambling, and women." His brother replies simply as if it was obvious.

Well that made sense. Sasuke wasn't sure what he was expecting, but that hadn't been it. He couldn't really argue with Itachi's logic when it came to the Big Three Downfalls.

"Eh. I don't drink much. I never gamble. Hinata is only one woman. So I think I should be good." Sasuke reasons.

Itachi chuckles. Yes, it did seem that Sasuke was a rather monogamous creature. That was good. He'd rather not have his brother running around with a bunch of loose women. Nothing would get a ninja in trouble faster than that.

"I suppose in that case, perhaps a bit of sake may be in order. You and the Hyuga Princess seem close in either timeline. How did that happen?" Itachi asks as he gets out a bottle of sake and pours them each a glass.

"In the old timeline? Well there was this mirror that ejected our past and future selves. Things just kinda happened. As for the new timeline, it looks like the Minis probably altered it when they returned to their era. So I'm still not entirely certain what happened there. There are so many new memories to sift though. It's making me a little lightheaded." The younger Uchiha confesses.

Itachi nods sympathetically. He was experiencing the same sensation himself. This was all so overwhelming. He didn't care for not knowing what was going to happen in the slightest. He was used to planning out all his moves at least ten steps ahead.

"That's understandable. I believe I have a theory for why we are aware of the schism in the timelines. The reason why I am still alive hasn't happened yet. The "Minis" as you call them, simply haven't reached the moment in time where I would have died. Clearly, that is what altered the timeline. Once they reach that, I believe our memories of the previous timeline will be swept away entirely and we will remember only the altered one." Itachi reasons.

Sasuke frowns as he considers that. It would make sense. That and he didn't have anything that was more plausible.

"Maybe you're right. I wouldn't mind though. It looks like I have Hinata and you either way. I see no reason to complain." Sasuke says with a shrug.

"While I understand your reasoning, that's rather shortsighted of you. You have no idea what other alterations might have taken place. Whether they are good or bad, we just don't know. I highly doubt our futures were the only ones that were changed." His brother points out.

"I guess that's true. We'll have to look into it. Speaking of women, you're alive now." Sasuke says.

"Well for the moment I am. Well spotted, brother. Was there a point buried somewhere in that observation?" Itachi asks in amusement.

Sasuke rolls his eyes. He loved Itachi deeply, but it looked like he was using sarcasm as a defense mechanism. Oh well. He supposed it was better than him attacking the village.

"Well since you are alive, it's not really fair if I'm the only one to help restore the Clan." He reasons.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. It might be best, if that was left up to you. I would feel incredibly guilty when the time came to explain why they didn't have any grandparents." The smoky eyed ninja replies.

The younger man bites his lower lip. Yes, that would certainly be awkward to say the least. Still now that he knew the truth about his brother, he wanted Itachi to be happy.

"They'll understand, one day. You shouldn't let the past keep you from having a better future." The other Leaf Ninja informs him.

"I find that rather ironic. For the majority of your life, you were focused almost exclusively on the past. Are you really in any position to lecture me without becoming a hypocrite?" Itachi asks and flicks Sasuke's forehead.

"Owe! You ALWAYS do that!" Sasuke grumbles.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Shino was at the party and had found Naruto. He had a bad feeling about all of this. The fact that Hinata and Sasuke weren't at the celebration only further added to his dread.

"Hey, Shino. What's up?" Naruto asks as he sips from his drink.

"Naruto, I don't think all of these festivities are purely benign in nature. I spoke to the Uchiha and Hinata about it earlier, during the tournament. We all believe that there is more going on than meets the eye." The insect lover says.

Naruto frowns as he considers this. Shino had a point. It all did seem a little strange. Why would the Daimyos go to all this trouble and expense just to encourage international cooperation? After the war, they had never been so united.

"You're right. I can't lie. I think it's a little weird too. The question is, what are we going to do about it?" The blonde asks.

"Well I was hoping that you would have a plan. Right now though, I must admit that I am most concerned about Hinata and Sasuke. They should be at this celebration, but they aren't. Do you think the Daimyos have done something to them?" He whispers.

Naruto's eyes widen in horror and he quickly scans the crowd. He looked and he looked, but he didn't see his favorite bastard or Hinata. Shino was right. They were missing.

"I don't know. But if they did, they are going to regret it. No one messes with our friends." He states determinedly and Shino nods his head in agreement.

"I'll send some of my bugs to spy on the Daimyos and see what they find." He offers.

"Yeah. Good idea. We'll get to the bottom of this. Believe it!" Naruto says cheerfully.


	22. Chapter 22

Timeless

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

 **Chapter Notation:** To my knowledge, it was never stated who the original owners of the Sharingans on Danzo's arm were. If anyone else knows differently, please do let me know. For the sake of the story though, I'm going to assume that two of those eyes were from someone very important to Sasuke and Itachi.

Chapter 22

 _The Minis were now not so many anymore. They were now scarcely a few months younger than the "Middle Set." In the past year, they had exposed the truth about Uchiha Massacre and taken over the Leaf Village._

 _"Hmm. I am a bit disappointed that I didn't become Hokage, but I suppose I don't mind. A war was adverted and I have a family once more." Obito mused inside the living room of Sasuke's house._

 _"You're powerful, but Naruto deserves it more. That and people know that he is the Fourth Hokage's son now. So in a way, everything has come full circle. It's poetic. Not to mention, it helps that Naruto is friends with the Kazekage." Sasuke reasoned._

 _Obito nodded. He couldn't disagree with Sasuke. It was disappointing, but he didn't mind all that much. Besides, Itachi and Sasuke didn't mind his act. Everyone outside their Inner Circle sincerely thought that he really was THE Madara._

 _"Awe thanks, bastard. That's really sweet of you to say. Hinata, must be a good influence on you." Naruto said cheerfully as he walked over to them in his Hokage robes._

 _"Well, I like to think that I am." The Hyuga Heiress replied sweetly as she kissed Sasuke's cheek._

 _Obito had great fun fooling everyone into thinking it was Madara. It was almost too easy though. The only person outside of the immediate Inner Circle who knew who he really was Kakashi. The eldest Uchiha was quite happy to have reconciled with his friend._

 _"You are a very good influence on him." Itachi assured her._

 _"Well I must admit that I do prefer being alive to being dead. You said that I would have died in the old timeline?" Neji inquired._

 _Both Itachi and Neji were unaware that their former selves had already been sent to the future and that the timelines were all about to converge. So was everyone really. That was why they were all able to enjoy a quiet evening together._

 _Hinata frowned. She didn't like to think about it, but she knew it was the truth. Neji hadn't been in the future. He had died in the original war. Though in their new timeline, there had never been a war. That meant that Neji lived._

 _"That's true. I'm so happy that we managed to save you." She said with a sweet smile._

 _"I am as well. It's nice to have another sane person in our psychotic group." Sasori stated dryly._

 _"What's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to say that we aren't sane?! That's not very nice of you! Yeah?!" The eccentric blonde known as Deidara demanded._

 _Sasori rolled his eyes. Yes, most of them were insane at a bare minimum. Of course, sanity was relative. Deidara was almost normal compared to Hidan._

 _"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." He informed the other man and the rest of the group just shake their heads._

 _"Hinata, lets go pick out what we are going to wear for the ceremony." Sasuke said as he offered his lover his hand._

 _"Alright." Hinata said with a smile as she took it and the two walked off together._

 _Suigetsu really didn't get it. Why would Sasuke voluntarily decide to play Dress Up? Hinata was beautiful, but still trying on clothes was boring and so girly._

 _"I don't get it. Sasuke is weird. Are you sure that he's not gay, Itachi? I mean he's way too interested in clothes." The white haired man said._

 _"Sasuke isn't gay. I think he's more interested in taking the clothes off of Hinata than putting them on her." Jugo said and everyone's jaw dropped._

 _Jugo blinked. He didn't get why everyone was staring at him that way. They all knew that Hinata and Sasuke were lovers. It was rather obvious._

 _"What?" He asked in confusion._

 _"I guess it really is always the quiet ones." Karin mused and everyone else nodded in agreement._

While the festivities were going on, no one noticed another person had arrived. Neji flickers into view and looks around dazed. He was confused. One moment he was in the afterlife and the next he wasn't.

Well at least he didn't think that he was. It didn't seem like the afterlife anyway. What on Earth was going on here? He decides to go to Hokage's office. Surely, Tsunade would know what to do.

"I better hurry." He mutters to himself as he flicked off.

He noticed that there was some sort of celebration going on. Neji didn't care though. His first priority was figuring out what was going on. He could worry about everything else later.

It felt so good to be alive again. He could feel the wind blowing through his hair as he raced towards the Hokage Office. Every sight, every sound, and every scent was magnified by a factor of a thousand. On one hand, it felt like it had been forever since he had last been alive. On the other, it felt like it had only been yesterday. His sense of time was all jumbled.

"Lady Tsunade!" He calls out once he reaches her office and knocks on the door.

Neji frowns when he didn't receive a response. That couldn't be a good sign. Then he mentally kicks himself. Of course, she wasn't going to respond. It was likely that she was at the celebration.

The Hyuga man pauses as he considers his options. He could go to the festival and try to speak with her there, but that might cause a panic. If anyone saw a dead man walking around, it would be natural for that to frighten people. Another option was going back to the Hyuga Estate. Perhaps some Branch Members had stayed behind and he could reason with them. Finally, he could simply wait here for the busty blonde to return.

"I suppose dealing with one Hokage is better than potentially dealing with a dozen or more frightened Branch Members. I shall stay here for the moment." He mutters.

All he could hope is that Tsunade would come back soon. Perhaps she would have some sort of explanation for what was happening to him. That's when it happened.

He could feel another set of memories forming in his mind. It was like watching a movie. A movie that he had lived and yet he hadn't. Neji didn't know what was going on, but it was utterly terrifying.

"Please hurry, Lady Hokage." He whispers as he struggles to process everything that he was seeing in his mind's eye.

There were so many images. Years' worth of memories. All of them were barreling towards him at once. It was overwhelming. It was a struggle to make sense of any of them. They were pouring in that quickly.

Thankfully for Neji, his torture didn't last that long. Tsunade had decided to go back to her office to grab some sake. When she arrived, the medic blinks at what she saw. Neji Hyuga was alive and writhing on the floor.

"NEJI?!" She asks in disbelief as she rushes over to him and quickly checks his vitals.

"L-ady Hokage, I don't understand what is happening to me." He stammers out.

"That makes two of us. What's wrong? What is making you convulse like this?" The Hokage gently demands.

She had never seen anything like this. Of course, she was aware the dead could brought back with that Forbidden Jutsu. That didn't seem to be the case here though. Neji was clearly in control of himself and she didn't see anyone controlling him. It was a full revival.

"Memories. Lots of memories, but they aren't mine. Well they are, but they a-ren't. So many." He whispers.

Tsunade pawns his incoherent answer off to him being delirious. He wasn't making any sense. Still she works hard to stabilize him and eventually the young Hyuga man falls into a deep and blissfully restful sleep.

Meanwhile Hinata heads back to the Uchiha District. She couldn't believe this was happening. The Minis had somehow altered the timeline and in a very major way. Itachi was alive!

"I believe I sense your lover's chakra approaching us. She does have very nice chakra by the way. Soothing." Itachi comments.

"…" Sasuke didn't even know how to respond to that.

He knew that Itachi wasn't the villain, but he was still in shock over the fact that Itachi was alive. As far as brotherly bonding went, he didn't even really know where to begin. There was so much that he wanted to say, but Itachi had apparently decided that gentle ribbing was the best way to break the ice.

"Good. How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?" He asks awkwardly.

"I don't feel any pain. In fact, I feel better than ever. Apparently, I must have received treatment at some point. My eyes are also different. These are father's eyes, not mine. Your eyes are mine." Itachi notes.

Sasuke blinks. Wait. What?! He immediately rushes over to Itachi get a better look. Sure enough, he was proven right.

Those weren't Itachi's eyes. They were Fugaku's. The younger Uchiha bites his lower lip at that knowledge. He wasn't sure how to feel about seeing his father's eyes staring back at him. Fugaku was dead and had been for a long time.

"How is this possible?" Sasuke whispers.

"My memories are still forming and rather chaotic, but it seems that we had some eye transplants done after Danzo's second death." Itachi muses as he tries to organize his "new" memories in chronological order.

 _"Itachi, we are both going to go blind eventually. That's what happens when one abuses the Mangekyo Sharingan. We need to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan." Sasuke said simply._

 _The elder Uchiha didn't like the sound of that. The only way to do that was to transplant the eyes of someone else who had the Mangekyo Sharingan into yourself. Right now, there was a severe shortage of people with Mangekyo Sharingans._

 _"So you wish to take my eyes as penitence for what I did?" He asked._

 _"No. I have a better idea. We defeated Danzo. He had an entire arm of Sharingans. Father's were included. Father also had the Mangekyo Sharingan. You will take his eyes and I will take yours." Sasuke explained._

 _Itachi blinked. Well it seemed as though his foolish little brother was not so foolish after all. That was brilliant. He must have preserved Danzo's corpse from their battle or at least the eyes._

 _"That sounds like a fine idea." The elder Uchiha said._

 _"I thought as much. Obviously, it isn't going to be fun to get the transplant done. Fortunately, I found Kabuto. He can perform the transplants." The raven haired ninja stated._

 _That caused the smoky eyed ninja to raise an eyebrow. Kabuto certainly had the medical skill needed to successfully conduct the surgery. Though he was at a loss for why Sasuke thought he could trust the silver haired medic._

 _"Yes, he could perform the surgery. I don't think that we should have him perform our operations though. He's far from our biggest fan. We did kill his mentor, after all." The other man pointed out._

 _"Oh he'll do it. He knows that I will have Taka and the rest of the Akatsuki watching him as he performs the surgeries. He might be furious at us for what happened with Orochimaru, but he's not suicidal." Sasuke replied._

Sasuke blinks. As Itachi was telling him about this new memory, it began to form in his mind's eye. This was just getting weirder and weird.

"Well that explains why you have father's eyes and I have yours. Do you think this means Naruto will be getting his original arm back?" Sasuke asks.

"Most likely. You got yours. The reason you lost your arms is because you fought each other. It doesn't appear that that battle ever took place in this new timeline. Logically, we should conclude that he will also be getting his original arm back." The other Uchiha reasons and Sasuke nods in agreement.

Hinata walks into Sasuke's house and glances at the brothers. This was going to take some getting used to. For so long, everyone had thought that Itachi was a vicious serial killer. A man who had slain his own kin for no other reason than to test his own power. Now that she knew the truth, well it was hard for her to completely wrap her head around the reality of the situation.

"What are we going to do?" She whispers.

"We can't really do anything. Hinata, we have to let these events play out now. If we knew how to travel back in time, it would be different. The Minis are clearly the driving force behind all of this. Itachi has a theory though." Sasuke whispers as he caresses her cheek.

Hinata looks at Itachi curiously. She didn't know him well, but she did know that he was a genius. So she was more than willing to hear him out.

"I believe once the Minis catch up to the point where I would have died, all the timelines will merge. It's unlikely that anyone besides the two of you will remember that there was ever "another life." The Minis obviously remember time traveling. So unless they told someone else, you two must never share this secret with anyone else. Take this secret to your graves." He warns them.

"We'll keep quiet about it." Sasuke assures him and Hinata nods in agreement.

It was the right thing to do. If they told anyone about what had happened, it would only further alter the timeline. At the very least, they knew that they were still together and that Itachi was alive. So far all the changes had been good. Neither of them were in a hurry to roll the dice further.

"Oh and Hinata?" Itachi says.

"Yes, Itachi?" She replies cautiously because she was uncertain what else he was going to say to her.

"Sasuke is surprisingly ticklish. Do use that to your advantage whenever he behaves foolishly." The elder Uchiha says.

Sasuke grumbles. Really? He had to tell her THAT. That just wasn't fair. Once this was all settled, he was going to get some payback.

He would find Itachi a lover. Then he would embarrass Itachi in front of her, the same way he was doing to Sasuke with Hinata. Yes, that would serve him right. Two could play this game.

"I'll keep that in mind." Hinata says with a giggle.

Back at the celebration, the Daimyos were heading onto the stage. It looked like they were about to make a big announcement. The Fire Daimyo took the microphone first.

That wasn't surprising. They were in the Fire Nation. It was only natural that he would get to speak first about whatever topic the Daimyos wanted to address. It was a matter of respect really.

"Once again, we want to thank you for coming to this celebration. The tournament was a great success. Though the time for play is over. You are all fortunate to be here today. Today is the dawning of a new era." He begins.

"What do you mean?" Kiba shouted.

"For too long the ninja villages have operated almost autonomously. That ends now." The Water Daimyo explained.

There were cries of outrage. That was until the Earth Daimyo pulled out a control and hit a button. Suddenly, everyone was frozen. Everyone except for Naruto.

The Daimyos hadn't counted on the fact that while the chips were resistant to normal chakra, they certainly weren't designed to handle chakra that was like the Nine Tail's. Naruto growls and feels his eyes bleeding red.

"You were right, Shino." He says.

"I wish that I wasn't. Naruto, be careful. I can't move. I think that device paralyzed everyone, but you for some reason. Most likely because the Nine Tails." Shino whispers.

Naruto nods in agreement. That's when he noticed something odd. His arm was no longer the transplant. It was his original arm. He blinks and decides to worry about that later.

Right now, he had to show them all who was boss. The Daimyos weren't going to be allowed to get away with this. Clearly, they were intending to basically enslave the ninja villages. The blonde wasn't going to allow that to happen. Never!

"I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS! RASENGAN!" Naruto says as he lunges at the Daimyos.

Everyone else was frozen in horror. Well except for the Daimyos. They tried to dodge. Three of them managed. Two of them didn't and were rewarded with a Rasengan to their guts for their efforts.

"AHH!" The Lightning Daimyo snarls in pain, alongside the Wind Daimyo.

"STOP THAT, AT ONCE! We have chips implanted in all your friends. If you do not stop attacking us, we will give them all the order to kill themselves. They will do it. None of them have any control over their bodies at the moment." The Earth Daimyo informs him.

That stopped Naruto in his tracks. Damn it. He had to find a way to free his friends and deal with the treacherous Daimyos.

He glance around quickly. Sasuke would be able to help him. That bastard was smart. The blonde frowns when he saw that Sasuke still wasn't there. Damn it.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" He growls.

"Oh that's where you are wrong. Everyone raise your kunai to your throat. On my order, you will kill yourselves if Naruto raises one hand against us." The Fire Daimyo instructs them.

The Kages, ninjas, and civilians all raised their kunais or whatever weapons they had to their throats. None of them were able to resist the command. It was like watching a horror movie in slow motion.

Unbeknownst to them, the moment had finally arrived. The Minis had caught up with the timeline. It was now the day where Itachi should have died. More specifically, it was the exact moment.

 _"If our theories are correct, Hinata and I will be the only ones to remember this. When you wake up, we can all start our new lives together. Officially." Sasuke told the others as they all laid down._

 _No one was really sure how it was going to happen. It could be painful. It could be painless. Perhaps it would be instant or it would feel like an eternity. In the end, it didn't really matter. They were all together and that was the most important thing of all._

 _"I'm ready." Hinata whispered to Sasuke as she kissed him and he returned her kiss with a smile._

 _"Good. You're such a brave Lily." He whispered._

 _"Let's do this! Yeah?!" Deidara asked and everyone rolled their eyes good-naturedly at the blonde as it finally happened._

 _The timelines converged in an explosion of color. It wasn't painful. All of them were knocked unconsciously instantly._

The reverberations were felt in the present. Out of nowhere a second explosion of colors was seen as the strange chakra enveloped everyone in the Leaf and began slowly spreading out even further.

Naruto, the Daimyos, and everyone else was knocked off their feet. All of them were rendered unconscious. Complete silence followed for many hours.

"What happened?" Naruto asks once he wakes up a few hours later.

Slowly, people were waking up around him. The blonde frowns in confusion. Everything was so weird. That's when he remembered. Today was the anniversary of the Leaf's Awakening.

That's what they had decided to call it. The Leaf's Awakening. On that day, everyone had found out the truth about the Uchiha Massacre and some other hidden skeletons in the Leaf's closet. Everyone's eyes had been opened wide and there had been no going back.

"Naruto, are you alright?" Shino asks in concern.

There were no more chips. The Daimyos had never been able to place them on the ninjas. There hadn't been a war. So there was no reason for them to have been concerned about holding onto power.

Of course, none of the Leaf Villagers and foreigners who were currently waking up were aware of any of this. To them, it was as if it had never happened. The timelines had completely merged.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Damn. That was some party, huh?" He asks and Shino nods in agreement.

Back in the Hokage's Office, Tsunade and Neji woke up. Neji glances around in confusion. That was odd. How did he ever end up in the Hokage's Office?

"Lady Tsunade? Are you alright?" He asks gently as he offers the busty blonde his hand.

"Yes, I think so. Are you alright? What happened?" The medic inquires in a dazed voice.

"I'm not entirely certain. Do you need my assistance with anything or do I have your permission to return to my family? The hour is late. I believe they will be worried about me." Neji says.

Tsunade still didn't understand how she and Neji had passed out in her office. Thankfully, their clothes were both on. So she was reasonably sure that nothing too inappropriate had happened. She was not a craddle robber.

"Oh yes, of course. You may go back to them. Give my best to your family." She mutters.

"I shall be sure to do so." The lavender eyed man replies as he takes off.

Neji had the strangest feeling that he was forgetting something. He didn't know what it was though. He shrugs it off. It didn't matter. It was a beautiful day in the Leaf and the future seemed bright.

"It was very kind of Naruto to allow Tsunade to continue to use the Hokage Office, even after she retired." He muses to himself.

Yes, it was bizarre. The Uchihas had shown up and explained the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre. They had quite the impressive mini army with them. It included Sasuke, Itachi, Hinata, the Akatsuki, Jugo, Karin, Suigetsu, and even Madara. Once they explained what really happened, Naruto had leapt to Sasuke's defense.

It hadn't taken long after that for Tsunade to "retire." It seemed the smarter move. Instead of having a Civil War that would weaken the Leaf, she had peacefully allowed Naruto to become the Sixth Hokage.

"I wonder if dinner is still warm or not." He muses to himself.

Neji dismisses that thought. It was late. His dinner was likely cold. Oh well. He could warm it up. He wasn't sure why, but he was in an extremely good mood.

Still he decided not to question it too much. After all, life was far too short to ask why. He had more important things to do. Like getting some food. He was starving. For some reason, he felt like he hadn't eaten in months.


	23. Chapter 23

Timeless

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

 **Chapter Notation:** You are going to be introduced to a lot more of the next generation in this chapter.

Chapter 23

Hinata and Sasuke gasp when two bright balls of chakra race through the window and into the living room. After a moment, the balls of chakra grow until they reached human-sized forms. From there, it didn't take long for the eldest Sasuke and Hinata to materialize.

 **"We wanted to say goodbye. It seems that things have run their course in this timeline. Things have changed drastically and both of us our curious about the fallout. Our children, Itachi, and Neji are still alive in this new future. We know that much and that's what is most important."** Sasuke says.

Sasuke was relieved that Itachi had gone take a shower. Now that the timelines had been completely altered, only he and Hinata knew about the changing of the timelines. They intended to keep it that way. If Itachi saw an older Hinata and Sasuke, he would have a lot of questions. Keeping it a secret would be impossible.

"Good. I'm glad." Sasuke says with a smile.

"We will miss you both horribly, but that is very good news. Please stay safe." Hinata says as she embraces both of them.

The elder couple return the smile and embrace. The Hinatas pull the younger Sasuke into the hug as well. He wasn't getting out of it that easily!

 **"We will miss you as well. Though I can't deny, that I can't wait to get back to our children. It feels like forever, even if they don't realize it."** Hinata says as she takes Sasuke's hand.

The two of them turn into chakra again. It only takes a moment or two for them to shrink down to chakra balls and fly off. Not five minutes later, Itachi walks back into the living room and raises an eyebrow.

"I sensed an unusual amount of chakra being used. Are you both alright?" He asks.

"Yes, we're fine." Hinata assures him and Itachi nods.

"Good. We should probably change into our festival clothes and head off. The celebration is likely still ongoing. I believe that Kakashi will drag Obito to it. He and Kurenai are just dead set on playing matchmaker for that man." Itachi muses.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He had two sets of memories. One of them told him that Kurenai and Kakashi were now a thing. His former teacher also really wanted Obito to be happy. So naturally, he had decided that finding Obito a lover was the solution.

He wasn't entirely sure when his relative had told the CopyCat Ninja the truth, but the elder Uchiha had at some point. Now the masked ninja and Obito were the best of friends again. They were often seen at the bar with Guy. Really, they had become something of a Golden Trio.

"And who is Kakashi trying to match him with this time?" The raven haired man inquires.

"Anko. I know. I know. I'm not really sure that he's into the dominatrix type, but most people would believe that "Madara" is." His brother replies.

Sasuke blinks. He wasn't sure who he expected his former teacher to try to set Obito up with, but Anko had been towards the bottom of the list. Well that should be interesting to say the least.

"Interesting. Well I'm going to go put on something more formal and I'll meet you guys outside." Sasuke says as he heads back to his room to retrieve a change of clothes and the ring that he would use to propose to Hinata later on that night.

Itachi nods and Hinata goes to find some of her clothes. Apparently, she was living here in this timeline. Sasuke had his closet in their room and she had a closet in the next room. At some point, they had decided it was smarter to each have their own closet. Most likely, a lot of fights had been prevented that way.

A few minutes later, the threesome heads off to join the festivities. Yes, they were still going on. Hinata blinks when she saw an impressive display of fireworks shooting off into the night sky.

"We are never going to hear the end of this." She hears Konan say to Pain.

"Most likely not. He's like a child in a toy store. Deidara is so easily amused." He agrees.

Hinata still couldn't get over the fact that apparently the Akatsuki had joined them. They were good guys now. Well mostly. Every now and then, they just had to fuck with people.

For instance, Kisame was having a grand time scaring some small children with his shark teeth. Though some of the older children seemed to think that it was just the neatest thing ever that his teeth could probably tear them to shreds. Who knew that he had a soft spot for children?

"Whoa. That's a really cool jutsu, but why did you stop halfway?" A child asks Zetsu.

Zetus sighs. For some reason, children tended to think that he had attempted to use a jutsu to look like a plant and had stopped halfway. This wasn't the first time that he had heard this. Fortunately, he was in a good mood today. So he decided humor the kid.

"This is my natural form." He states.

"Oh. So you're like Sharky over there?" The kid asks as he glances back at Kisame.

"I suppose you could say that." Zetus agrees tactfully.

In all honesty, he wasn't sure if that was really the case with Kisame. He half suspected that the man's mother or father had actually been a shark. Another part of him thought that some sort of jutsu had gone wrong and the man had gotten stuck halfway between shark and man. Still he couldn't discount the possibility that Kisame looked that way because he WANTED to. Kisame was an interesting individual to say the least.

"Well I have to admit that the brats do know how to throw a party." Kakuzu says to Hidan.

"Yeah. They have that much going for them. This sushi is fucking awesome. Do you think Kisame will get pissed if we eat it in front of him? I mean it could be his mother or father." Hidan asks with a smirk.

"Hmm. I don't know. Why don't we go find out?" He replies with a smirk of his own.

Suigetsu races past Sasuke and Hinata. Karin was hot on his trail. The red head was screaming obscenities at him. Jugo just followed them and shakes his head. The gentle giant had apparently decided that it was his job to keep Karin from actually killing the violet eyed ninja.

"Some things will never change." Sasuke snorts in amusement.

"Those two are really like oil and water." Itachi agrees and Sasuke nods in confirmation.

That was one way to describe it. Karin and Suigetsu fought like cats and dogs. Sometimes it was amusing and sometimes it was really annoying. Today, it was a combination of both.

"Ah there you are Hinata. I was wondering if you were going to attend the celebration." Neji says as he walks over to the Hyuga women, with his uncle and cousin following only a few steps behind him.

Hinata blinks. She knew that in this timeline, Neji had never died. Still she couldn't get over the fact that he was alive.

"Hinata, you can't let him see how shocked you are to see him. He'll ask what's wrong." Sasuke whispers into her ear warningly and the bluenette nods.

She knew that she couldn't let her shock display on her face for long. Neji was smart. He was perceptive. Sasuke was right. He would ask and she couldn't tell him the truth.

Itachi had been right. They couldn't tell people what had really happened. This was a secret that she and Sasuke would share until they died. No one else could ever find out.

"Yes, we had a late start. Sasuke and Itachi were bickering. It took awhile to get them to play nicely." Hinata says with a giggle.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at that excuse. They were not bickering. Well he supposed it was as good an excuse as any. It looked like it worked anyway. So he wasn't really going to argue with it.

"You look beautiful. That's a very lovely kimono." Hiashi tells his daughter.

"Thank you, father. Sasuke picked it out for me." The Hyuga Heiress says and Hiashi just nods.

He still wasn't entirely certain if it was a good match. Sasuke had suffered through a lot of trauma as a child. Though he supposed there was no denying that he had grown into a powerful ninja and he was completely devoted to Hinata.

The two of them had been inseparable since they were seven. Hinata had even gone to the Sound Village with him. Then somehow they had taken over the Leaf. As far as he could tell, nothing was going to break them apart. Voicing his doubts, would just cause a rift and he didn't want that.

"Well let no one say that Uchihas aren't fashionable." He muses.

"Thank you." Obito says as he saunters over to the group and smiles, with Kakashi and Guy at his side.

It was a strange feeling. He had friends again. Obito even had two family members and likely more on the way. Well if the way that Hinata and Sasuke looked at each other was any indication a second generation of Uchihas wasn't too far off.

He knew that it was wrong, but part of him was fascinated from a purely scientific perspective. What would happen when the bloodlines merged? Perhaps the Byakugan would be dominant and the Sharingan would be recessive. Then again, the reverse could be true. It was also possible that some of their children would have the Sharingan and some the Byakugan. The final possibility was perhaps the most interesting. A completely new bloodline might form from combining the other two. Yes, the results of their union should be fascinating.

"You're welcome." Hiashi says.

It was bizarre. Madara Uchiha was still alive and he looked so young! He didn't even want to know what sort of Forbidden Jutsu was responsible for such a thing. Hiashi Hyuga had decided it was just easier to be polite to this enigma and carry on about with his business.

"Hey, bastard!" Naruto says as he heads over towards Sasuke cheerfully.

"Loser, what are you doing? Seriously, you're wearing an orange kimono? That's almost as bad as the spandex." Sasuke observes.

The blonde grumbles. He didn't see anything wrong with orange. It was a perfectly respectable color and Sasuke should learn to appreciate it!

"Pft. Like I need fashion advice from someone who wear that ugly purple belt thing for years." The blue eyed ninja grumbles.

"Hello, Naruto." Hinata says sweetly and the other ninjas irritation at Sasuke was momentarily forgotten in favor of greeting the Hyuga Heiress.

"Oh hey, Hinata. How is it going? Has the bastard been being nice to you? If he hasn't, you can tell me. I promise that I'll kick his ass." Naruto assures her.

Hinata merely shakes her head in amusement. It didn't matter what timeline they were in. Naruto would always be Naruto and Sasuke would always be Sasuke. Some things truly never changed.

"Sasuke is always nice to me." She tells him and the orange clad ninja nods his head approvingly.

"Good because if he wasn't, there are a lot of people who would be in line to take a swing at him." The blonde assures her merrily.

Sasuke smacks his forehead. Naruto really was such an idiot. There was no universe where he would be anything but kind to his Lily. His best friend had to know that.

"Idiot. You are still just as annoying today as you were on the first day we entered the Academy together." Sasuke snaps at him.

"Oh yeah?!" The other member of Team Seven snaps at him.

"Yeah. You are. I don't care if you are Hokage or not. You are still such a loser." Sasuke taunts him with a smirk.

Naruto twitches. Uh oh. Hinata knew where this was going. She probably wasn't going to see Sasuke for a couple hours. It was highly likely that a spar was about to take place.

"Forbidden Forest?" Naruto asks Sasuke.

"Sounds good to me. I'll be back in a bit, Hinata. It shouldn't take me long to beat him to a bloody pulp. Then we can enjoy the rest of the celebration together." Sasuke informs her as he kisses her cheek and proceeds to dart off with his best friend for some training.

Meanwhile the eldest Sasuke and Hinata returned back to their time. They look around warily. Neither of them was entirely sure what they would find. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Naruto was watching Kana practice her archery and the Kazekage family was there.

"Oh hey! You guys are back!" Naruto says happily.

The blonde was wearing his Hokage robes. Alright. So that hadn't changed. Their new memories lined up there. That was good.

"Daddy! Mommy! Mother! Father!" Came a chorus of four Uchiha children as they forgot what they were doing and rushed over to their parents to greet them.

Sasuke hugs them back. He was so relieved. At the very least, that hadn't changed. Their children were alive and they still looked the same. Still they would have to wait a bit to see if their personalities had been altered. For now, he was just glad that they were alive.

 **"Yeah. Thanks for watching them."** Sasuke says.

"Anytime, bastard. Anytime. You know how much I love these guy though I should probably get home. Ayame doesn't like it when I'm late for dinner." The blonde says happily.

Sasuke wasn't really sure how it happened, but Naruto had ended up marrying Ayame. He had mentally dubbed her the Ramen Girl. Well perhaps he should say Ramen Woman. It would be more accurate. Still it just didn't have the same ring to it.

They had two twin boys. Yes, they were identical twins. They had inherited their mother's brown silky hair and their father's bright blue eyes, along with his whisker markings. The boys were five. So they were the perfect playmates for the Uchiha children.

 **"Thank you, Naruto. We really do appreciate it."** Hinata says and Naruto nods, before he heads off.

"Where were you guys? You were gone for awhile?" Kaemon asks curiously.

 **"Oh we decided to get in some special training and lost track of time. Why, how long were we gone?"** Sasuke replies curiously.

He knew that they couldn't have been gone that long. None of their children looked particularly panicked. Though he couldn't deny, he was curious. It had been such a long time to them, but time travel was tricky. It was unpredictable.

"Four hours. You were gone a really, really long time." Miyoko says innocently.

Four hours might have been a long time to a young child, but it was nothing to Sasuke and Hinata. They had been gone much longer than that. Well to them it had seemed much longer anyway.

 **"We'll try to come back sooner next time. Let's go home and have dinner."** Hinata says with a soft smile.

"Yay! Food! Can we have cookies?" Rajah asks as he jumps onto Sasuke's shoulder happily.

 **"Yes, you can have as many cookies as you want tonight."** Sasuke assures him.

That certainly perked their children up. Sasuke just smiled. It was miracle. They were all still alive and so were Itachi and Neji.

Gaara shakes his head in amusement as his son and daughter bid farewell to their friends. He had never thought that his children would be so close to the Uchihas. Still he was happy for them. It was good to have friends.

"If you keep that up, you are going to spoil them." He muses.

 **"It's good to spoil them once in awhile."** The bluenette says and the Kazekage chuckles.

"Yes, I suppose that's true. Tenten, it's late. Shall we head back to the hotel with the twins?" He asks his wife.

Tenten nods. It was getting laid. They really should grab something to eat and help settle the kids down for the night.

"That sounds like a good idea. We'll see you later." Tenten says as she walks off with her family.

Some days, she still couldn't believe it. She had ended up marrying the Kazekage and having two children with him. When she was a Genin and even a Chunin, she used to have the biggest crush on Neji. Eventually, she had outgrown it because the young Hyuga had ended up falling for another Hyuga.

At first, she had been shocked and even disgusted. Then Neji had explained it was quite common practice to marry within your Clan to preserve the bloodlines. Besides, the woman was only his third cousin, twice removed. So they were not closely enough related that it was likely any of their children would have issues. In the end, she had offered him her blessings and he had ended up marrying her.

 **"Alright everyone, let's head home."** Sasuke says with a smile and leads them back to their house.

"Ah there you are brother, I was wondering when you would come back." Itachi says as he greets his family.

Sasuke smiles. He liked this future much better. He had Itachi back and Hinata had Neji. Speaking of Neji, he was sitting in the living room with his wife. The man was no longer a Branch Member. No one was.

Hiashi had stepped down and Hanabi as the new head of the Hyuga Clan had abolished the practice. There was much joy on the day that she officially dissolved the distinction between the Main House and Branch House. Now everyone was equal.

 **"Sasuke, do you smell smoke?"** Hinata asks in concern.

The children blink and all nod in agreement. Yeah. They definitely smelled smoke. That's when Itachi's eyes widen and he races to the kitchen. Soon the sounds of a water jutsu are heard.

"Are you alright, my love?" Itachi asks.

"Yes, I suppose that cooking was just never going to be my area of expertise. I did want to surprise them all. I know how much the children love cookies and in theory, you would think that it would be easy to make them. I followed the recipe exactly." Mei grumbles.

"That's alright. You have many other talents. Far more enjoyable ones." Itachi informs her and kisses her forehead.

Sasuke was still wrapping his mind around the fact that somehow Itachi had completely seduced the female Kage. Mei had fallen head over heels in love with Itachi and the feeling was mutual. She had even retired from being a Kage to come and live in the Leaf with him.

Of course, it didn't hurt that she had already hand picked her successor beforehand. So that probably played a role in making her choice easier. Still everyone had been completely shocked by her decision. Though Mei had finally got her dream wedding.

 **"Let's not go into what her talents are. My children can hear every word you say."** Sasuke reminds him.

"Foolish little brother. I was only going to say that she is a powerful ninja and a wonderful mother." Itachi says as he flicks Sasuke's forehead.

 **"Uh huh. I'm sure that's ALL you were going to say."** Sasuke replies knowingly.

Itachi and Mei had one child. Her name was Sango. She had Mei's green eyes and Itachi's raven black hair, though she wore it like her mother. The girl was seven years old and seemed really fond of Naruto's boys. She had also inherited Itachi's face markings, but otherwise looked like a Mini Mei.

"It seems that having such a lovely wife has forever put your mind in the gutter. I can not entirely blame you though, but I assure you that my intentions were purely innocent." Itachi insists.

"Ha! That's a laugh. As if there was ever such a thing as an innocent Uchiha!" Suigetsu says as he walks with Karin and Jugo.

This prompts many eye rolls from the Uchiha Clan, even Obito joined in. Somehow Kakashi's matchmaking attempts with Kurenai had worked. He was now married to Anko and they had a son named Kenji.

Kenji had his mother's eyes and his father's hair. He was four years old. He was also a rather boisterous child and always getting into mischief.

"Well it was sweet of you to try, Mei. Though it's probably a good idea to have Hinata handle the cookies." Sasuke says and the former Kage sighs as she nods her head in agreement.

Meanwhile back in the present, Sasuke was still training with Naruto. In a way, he was grateful for the distraction. He didn't know why he felt so nervous. The raven haired ninja knew that Hinata would say yes.

Obviously, they were married in the future with children. She'd say yes. Still he couldn't help it. Sasuke was definitely nervous.

"You alright, bastard? You seem a little distracted. You should have been able to dodge that hit." The blonde observes in concern.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind." He replies honestly.

It was an honest answer, but not a complete one. Sasuke was going to propose to Hinata. Tonight seemed like the perfect night to do it. What better time could their be to do it? After all, this was the anniversary of the Leaf's Awakening.

Sasuke thought that was a good omen. He normally didn't take much stock in that sort of thing. Sasuke believed in making his own luck. Tonight though, he would take whatever he could get.

"You're going to propose to her, aren't you?" Naruto says bluntly and Sasuke falls over in shock.

Damn. Was he that obvious? When did Naruto of all people get so perceptive?! That just wasn't like him. Normally, the blonde was rather clueless when it came to dealing with the opposite sex.

"How'd you know that?!" The Uchiha demands.

"Well what else could it be? It's not like you to get this distracted. Besides, I mean it is pretty obvious that you like her. Anyone can see that. So there's not really a reason to wait. That and I know you want to restore your Clan. You seem kinda old fashioned. I figured you'd wanna be married before that happened." Naruto reasons.

"Who are you and what have you done with Naruto? You can't possibly be the loser. There's no way that he would ever have been able to put two and two together like that!" The Uchiha says.

Naruto rolls his eyes. He let Sasuke get away with that one. The man was obviously jittery about proposing. So he could make allowances.

"Whatever, bastard. Just don't blow it." Naruto tells him cheerfully and Sasuke Chidoris Naruto for being an idiot, before bounding off to find Hinata.


	24. Chapter 24

Timeless

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. Well this is the grand finale of **Timeless**. I hope you all enjoy it. After this, I will probably wrap up **Why Her** quickly and then start on a new Sasuke x Hinata story.

 **Past Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in _italics._

 **Present Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in regular font.

 **Future Sasuke and Hinata:** Speak in **bold font.**

Chapter 24

There were very few things that got the blood pumping more than a good fight, Sasuke muses as he looks for Hinata. Fighting was easy. Fighting was something he was good at.

Fighting wasn't like expressing himself emotionally. With Naruto, he let his fists do the talking. The raven haired ninja could never do that with his Lily. It wasn't that Sasuke didn't have the vocabulary to express himself properly. He just wasn't very comfortable talking about his emotions and hadn't been for over a decade.

"Hinata?" He calls out when he sees the young woman sitting on the roof of one of the houses, watching the fireworks.

"Sasuke! How did it go with Naruto?" She asks sweetly.

Sasuke would have to try though. After all, he had managed to get her to agree to be his lover. So he must have done something right. He still wasn't used to being the chaser. He had never really had to try to get a girl's attention before and generally tried to avoid doing so. As always, Hinata was an exception.

"It went alright. Come on. I have something that I want to show you." Sasuke says with a smile as he offers his hand to the Hyuga Heiress.

"Alright." The bluenette says, taking his hand.

Sasuke teleports them to the hospital. He thought it was fitting. That was where the mirror first worked its magic and where he confessed his feelings for her. In his mind, it was only logical that he would propose there as well.

"Why did you take us to the hospital?" Hinata asks in confusion.

"I thought it was fitting. This was the first place that we really noticed each other. It was where we first kissed and became friends." He says and caresses her cheek.

Hinata smiles. She still didn't really know what Sasuke was up to, but that was sweet. That had been a difficult concept for her to wrap her head around initially, but Sasuke Uchiha was capable of being very sweet. Well when he wanted to be.

"That's true." The medic replies as she leans into his touch and kisses the palm of his hand.

"Close your eyes." Sasuke instructs her and he smiles when Hinata did exactly that.

She was such a good Lily. Hinata offered no protests to his request. He continues smiling as he places a simple leather chain upon her neck with a ring on it.

"Can I open them now, Sasuke?" The Hyuga Heiress asks.

"Yes, you can open them." The Uchiha informs her and her lavender eyes do indeed open.

That's when Hinata realized something was on her neck. She looks down to see what it was. It was a necklace with a beautiful ring on it. A wedding ring.

It was a beautiful silver ring with a massive diamond in the center that was framed by two smaller diamonds. The band had loops in it that were also filled with tiny diamonds.

"It's beautiful." She gasps as she looks at the stunning piece of jewelry in shock.

"I'm glad that you like it. It used to be my mother's. I'm not really good with declarations of love, but I do love you. You're the one that I want to be with. It doesn't matter if it's in the old time line, our past, our present, or the future. Will you marry me?" The raven haired man asks.

"Yes!" She says and tackle hugs him.

Meanwhile back in the future Sasuke watches as a mini army of Uchihas and Uzmakais storm the kitchen. Hinata had finished baking the cookies. It was feeding time at the zoo, it seemed.

Behold the young of the species, eagerly practicing their pouncing skills for when they were older. Note the healthy sibling rivalry as each cub attempted to get their fair share. And of course, the exasperated and amused parents who stepped in whenever it looked like someone might actually get hurt.

 **"You'd think they were starving to death."** Sasuke muses.

"Well one can hardly blame them. Your wife does make exceptional cookies." Obito comments.

Sasuke nods in agreement. Hinata was a very good cook. No one could deny that. If she ever wanted to retire from being a medic, she could have a very successful second career as a chef.

"Daddy! I saved a big one for you!" Rajah says as he darts over to his father's side and presents him with a rather large cookie.

 **"Thank you, Rajah. That was very nice of you."** Sasuke says in amusement as he humors his youngest son and bites into the offered dessert.

Kana comes out of the kitchen with her cookies and sits next to Itachi and Mei. They always had the best stories. She especially liked the one about how they got together and when her father was little.

"Oh yes, your father was very foolish when he was little." Itachi begins and Sasuke gives his elder brother a dirty look for that comment.

Kaemon toddles out not long after his elder sister. The boy was now quite content to listen to his mother tell stories about Team Eight. Hinata was more than happy to do so. Kiba, Kurenai, and Shino often visited the Uchiha family and were quite close to her children.

 **"Yes, Kiba sometimes used to lose control of his temper. It used to get in him in trouble. One time Shino got upset with him and switched Kiba's shampoo with pink hair dye."** She tells him with a giggle.

Miyoko listens to the various stories being told and wanders around the living room. She was happy to be showing off her beautiful new dress. Sasuke notes in amusement that she liked to play Dress Up just as much as her mother.

Hinata shakes her head in amusement after she finishes telling the story to their children and walks over to Sasuke. He smiles and wraps his arms around his wife protectively as they watch the chaos together. For years, the Uchiha District had been empty. Now it could be quite crowded at times. Well at least their house could be.

 **"I can't believe it all really worked."** He whispers to her.

 **"I can't either. I guess our younger selves were quiet clever about everything. Somehow they brought Itachi and Neji back, took over the Leaf, and helped to abolish the Branch System."** The young mother whispers back in a voice that she knew only he would hear.

Most of the people in their home were powerful ninjas with keen hearing. One had to make quite the effort not to be overheard. Sasuke and Hinata knew how to deal with that fact though. They each knew exactly how loud they could be without risking behind overheard.

 **"Yes, they were little geniuses. Well I suppose I should say that we were little geniuses**." Sasuke observes with no small amount of mirth.

 **"Speaking of little geniuses. We're up to five now."** Hinata tells him.

Sasuke cocks his head to the side. He didn't understand what she was trying to say. So he rewards her announcement with a puzzled expression.

Hinata found it cute. Sasuke's face could be rather expressive at times like this. Oh how she wished she had a camera on her. Then she would be able to talk his picture. That would have been one for their family scrapbook.

 **"Five little geniuses."** She says and places his hand on her stomach.

Sasuke blinks. Ohhh. So THAT'S what she meant. Well it looked like soon there would be seven Uchihas in the new generation soon.

He and Hinata would have five children. Itachi had a child. So that brought the total up to six. That combined with Obito's child, meant that there would be at least seven next generation Uchihas running around soon.

 **"Lucky number seven."** He muses and Hinata giggles.

Sasuke couldn't believe his lucky. He had a beautiful wife and a growing family. Not to mention everyone knew the truth about Itachi and with Naruto as the Hokage, he could be assured that his family was safe for the foreseeable future.

 **"Do you think that one of them might become Hokage someday?"** He asks.

 **"I'd be surprised, if one of them didn't. They have very good genes."** Hinata tells him and kisses his cheek with a smile.

Back in the present with the "Middle Set," a grand wedding was being held. Two weeks had passed since Sasuke's proposal to Hinata. Since then, everyone had been working on planning the wedding. Now the big day had arrived.

"Congratulations, Sasuke. It seems like only yesterday, you were all just a bunch of innocent Genin. Now you are getting married." Kakashi says inside the male dressing room.

"Don't say anything stupid." Sasuke warns him.

"Sasuke, I'm wounded. I would not say anything stupid on your wedding day. What kind of monster do you take me for?" Kakashi asks as he places his hand over his heart as if he had been mortally wounded.

Immediately everyone gives Kakashi a look. They ALL knew that he was going to say something outrageous. It was very likely that Sasuke would end up Chidoring the mischievous man before they ever made it out the dressing room.

"Kakashi Sensei, just get it out of your system. Whatever it is, just do it." Naruto says brightly.

He couldn't believe that Sasuke was getting married. Not only that, but he was getting married to Hinata! It was really like something straight out of a fairytale. As far as Naruto could tell, Sasuke had just woke up one morning and decided Hinata was the one for him and that was that.

The two had been inseparable since their Academy days. He had never seen anything like it in real life before. It was both romantic and surreal at the same time.

"Well I'm just saying that I know you will want to restore your Clan, so I thought this might be helpful." Kakashi says as he hands Sasuke a familiar orange book.

The Akatsuki, male members of Taka, Naruto, and Gaara just shake their heads. Oh boy. This wouldn't end well. 3, 2, 1...and Chidori!

"CHIDORI! You are such a pervert and I do not need romantic Clan Restoration advice from a freaking book!" Sasuke snaps at him.

"I was just trying to help!" Kakashi protests and groans in pain.

"That's right. My foolish little brother does not need advice from a book. I'm his brother. It is my duty to explain to him how kunais and pouches work." Itachi says somberly and Sasuke twitches.

He loved them all, but sometimes he wanted to kill them. This couldn't actually be happening, could it? He sighs as he glances around the room. Yes, this was actually happening.

Meanwhile the girls were also getting ready. Hinata rubs the back of her head sheepishly as her bridesmaids fight over everything. They were fighting over how she should wear her hair, which bouquet of flowers she should use, and even what shoes walk down the aisle with.

"I really don't think that Sasuke is going to care what kind of shoes I'm wearing." She mumbles shyly.

"Hinata, it's your wedding day. The little details matter." Sakura insists.

Like many of the Academy girls, Sakura had had a major crush on Sasuke. Sadly, he had only had eyes for Hinata. At first, the pink haired woman couldn't help but be a bit resentful about that.

What was so special about the shy girl? Why did Sasuke only ever pay any attention to her or Naruto? She just didn't get it.

As time wore on though, she realized that wasn't being very fair. It wasn't Hinata's fault that Sasuke liked her better. Eventually, she grew out of her childhood jealousy. After all, she had Lee now.

"She's right. So I'm thinking red roses. They are traditional." Ino says.

"No. White lilies are better." Hinata says with a smile.

None of them knew about the white lilies of course. It had happened in another timeline. She wouldn't have told them anyway, but in her mind no other flower would be more fitting for their wedding.

"Alright. If the woman wants white lilies, let her have her lilies." Tsunade says in amusement and Kurenai nods in agreement.

Eventually, the grand procession make their way out of the room. Hinata went last of course. She could hear the people talking about how cute Mirai looked. The little girl was very happy to be the flower girl at the wedding and throwing flowers everywhere.

Hinata smiles as she makes her way down the aisle. They had decided to host the wedding in the Uchiha District. After all, there was a lot of space there and they had to have it outside.

There were just so many Hyugas, Team Taka, the Akatsuki, Team Seven, the Rookie Nine, and many others who had turned out for the wedding. Hinata wouldn't have been surprised, if there were over a thousand people in the streets of the Uchiha District at the moment.

"You look beautiful." Hiashi says as he escorts her down the aisle.

There was a beautiful red, blue, and white carpet that had been laid out on the streets under their feet. It was a gorgeous moonlit night with the stars glowing bright and glorious fireworks shooting off in the background. (Hinata and Sasuke had tried to tell Deidara that you didn't have fireworks at a wedding, but he wouldn't listen.)

Finally, they reached the golden alter that had white lilies and red roses woven into it. Sasuke was standing their with Tsunade. It was decided that she would officiate the wedding.

"Dearly beloved and Akatsuki members, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga. If there is anyone who has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace." She begins.

"Hey! What the fuck are you trying to say with that Akatsuki crack?!" Hidan asks.

SMACK. Aoda and the other Summons had been invited to watch the wedding. There was no way they were going to miss out on it. The protective reptile wasn't going to allow Hidan to sully Master Sasuke's wedding with his foul mouth.

"Be quiet. You're going to ruin the wedding." Aoda informs the Akatsuki member after smacking him with his powerful tail.

"Damn. He's better than a guard dog." Kisame muses and the guests all laugh.

Sasuke just shakes his head and takes Hinata's hands in his own. He smiles at his lover. She looked beautiful with her midnight blue hair cascading down her back like a waterfall and that elegant white silk kimono with a ruby red sash tying it together. It flattered her womanly figure in a tasteful way.

"Right. Well if you are all done making fools out of yourselves, I would like to actually conduct this wedding!" Tsunade snaps.

Wisely, everyone shut up. No one wanted to upset the former Hokage. She might no longer be in charge of the Leaf Village, but she was still very scary.

"Do you Sasuke Uchiha take Hinata Hyuga to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold? In sickness and in health? For richer and for poorer? For better and for worse? To forsake all others and love each other for the rest of your days, until death do you part?" The busty blonde asks.

"I do." Sasuke says without any hesitation.

"Do you Hinata Hyuga take Sasuke Uchiha to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold? In sickness and in health? For richer and for poorer? For better and for worse? To forsake all others and love each other for the rest of your days, until death do you part?" The former medic asks once again.

"I do." Hinata replies with a shy smile.

"Then by the power vested in me by the Leaf Village and the Fire Nation, I pronounce thee man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Tsunade finishes.

Sasuke didn't waste any time. He quickly grabs Hinata and kisses her. He kissed her so passionately, that Hiashi coughs rather uncomfortably. Some catcalls were heard from the audience, but neither of them cared. They only had eyes for each other.

"Hey, bastard! Don't forget to throw the garter belt!" Naruto calls out.

Sasuke shakes his head and breaks the kiss with Hinata. He smiles and has her sit down. The young Uchiha slowly slides off her garter belt, much to the amusement of the crowd.

Naturally, the raven haired ninja smirks after grabbing it. He knew exactly what he was going to do with it. He hurls that lacy object right at his brother's face. Ha! That will teach him to call Sasuke foolish!

"You really are such a foolish little brother." Itachi says with a dramatic sigh.

"Congratulations, Itachi. That means you are getting married next." Konan and Pain say and Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly at that announcement. (He highly doubted that was going to be the case.)

Hinata giggles. Well she supposed it was time to throw the bouquet. She quickly calls out to the women in audience that she was going to do so and blinks at how quickly they all lined up.

"Well I guess everyone is really interested in getting married." She laughs as she tosses it into the crowd.

Surprisingly, it was Mei who caught it. The busty Kage beams and there were cheers from the females in the crowd. Hinata smiles. Well maybe it would work. She knew how much Mei wanted to get married.

"Hey, kid! How are you planning to cut that cake?" Jirayia asks from the crowd.

Yes, somehow the timeline resetting meant that Jirayia was alive as well. Naruto and Tsunade would have been overjoyed by that turn of events, if either of them had ever remembered losing him. They didn't though.

"Good point. I got it. Temari, do you wanna give me a hand with your fan?" Tenten asks.

"Sure." The feisty blonde replies as she gets out her fan and Tenten sends hundreds of weapons hurling towards the tables that had dozens of cakes on them.

Her weapons were able to slice through all of them with ease, thanks to Temari's assist. The crowd cheered and all went to grab some cake or headed to the dance floor.

"That was rather impressive." Gaara says to Tenten and she smiles.

"Thanks. I had a little help though." The brunette says shyly.

Sasuke just shakes his head in amusement as he walks out onto the dance floor with Hinata. They were finally married. It looked like the timeline alterations had all worked out in their favor.

"I love you." Hinata says with a smile as she wraps her arms around Sasuke's neck and dances with him.

"I love you too. It looks like the Leaf is about to have a lot more weddings though. Itachi is dancing with Mei now and Naruto's dancing with the ramen girl." He muses as he glances at the other two couples who were now dancing.

"Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?" She asks with a giggle and Sasuke shakes his head.

He had a feeling about this. It would be very like Itachi to somehow land himself a Kage. That and Naruto really did love ramen. So maybe in a twisted way, it would make sense if he ended up with the Ramen Girl.

"I'll bet you anything that they all end up married. So speaking of marriages, I booked us a room on one of the island nations. It's tropical." Sasuke says.

"You just want an excuse to see me in a swimsuit." Hinata muses.

"That's not true. I want an excuse to take your swimsuit off of you." Sasuke says with a smirk and Hinata blushes a deep shade of red.

"Well we do have a Clan to restore." She mumbles and Sasuke smirks in agreement.

Back in the past, the Minis were still settling into their rule. The Akatsuki and Taka were busy making sure there were no holdovers. They didn't want to have to stamp down a big rebellion later. Even though Tsunade had willfully transferred power to Naruto, there was always a chance that someone might try to resist. They wouldn't allow them the chance to take back control.

 _"Hinata, have you seen Itachi?"_ Sasuke asks in amusement.

 _"Oh I think he went to the Mist Village. Mei heard about the shakeup and wanted to speak to someone in person, I guess."_ Hinata says.

 _"Ah that makes sense."_ Sasuke says as he places something on her neck.

Hinata looks down and smiles. It was a beautiful diamond necklace. Sasuke did love to spoil her.

 _"It's beautiful, but I didn't get you anything."_ The bluenette says.

 _"Oh I'm not hard to please. I think you can get me an even better present rather easily. You wearing nothing but that necklace and heading to our bedroom should be more than sufficient."_ Sasuke says.

"Wow. That was smooth, bastard!" Naruto calls out and the Uchiha groans.

Honestly, that loser had the worst timing that he had ever seen. The raven haired ninja had never seen someone walk in at exactly the wrong moment as much as Naruto before. Really, it was a wonder that he hadn't strangled his best friend yet.

 _"Loser, get lost! NOW!"_ Sasuke growls and Naruto takes off.

Sasuke twitches. He could hear the idiot laughing as he ran off. Yeah. He was so going to kick Naruto's ass at their next training session.

 _"So what was that you were saying about wanting to see me in only the necklace?"_ Hinata asks with a sly smile as she wraps her arms around his neck.

 _"Well I'm just saying that that would be an even better present than the necklace itself."_ He says and kisses her.

Hinata happily returned the kiss. Some days, she couldn't believe that this had all really happened. That she and Sasuke had traveled to the future and changed the course of history. She would never regret it though.

How could she? She was in a relationship with the love of her life and Neji was alive again. The Branch System had been abolished and the truth about the Uchiha Massacre had come out. In her mind, everything was perfect.

 _"You know it's funny. Even after all these different timelines collided we still ended up together."_ Hinata says with a smile.

 _"That's because love is timeless. It doesn't matter what year it is or how old you are. When it's real, it will find a way."_ Sasuke says.

 _"Who knew that you were such a hopeless romantic?"_ Hinata asks with a giggle.

 _"I wouldn't say that I'm hopeless. I have you, after all."_ The Uchiha says as he scoops his lover into his arms Bridal Style and carries her off to their bedroom.

Sasuke got what he wanted for his present. Hinata wore only the necklace for them. It was lovely, but it couldn't compete with the beauty that was a naked Hinata. The necklace was soon forgotten as the two spent the rest of the night making love.

Yes, love was timeless. It didn't matter that they had altered the timeline in major ways. The two of them would always find each other. The year was of no real consequence. That was his final thought as he fell asleep while holding his Lily in his arms.


End file.
